THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 

EDWIN  E.ROGERS 


LIBRAPY  OF  RELIGIOUS  THOUGHT 


FEB  14  1918 


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BX  8    .R6A  1917 
Rogers,   Edwin  E. 
The  divided  house 


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(     FEB  14  191 

THE 

DIVIDED  HOUSE 

y 

EDWIN  E.  ROGERS 


BOSTON:  THE  GORHAM  PRHSS 

TORONTO:  THE  COPP  CLARK  CO..  LIMITED 


COPYEIGHT,  1917,  BY  EdWIN  E.  RoGEES 


All  Rights  Reserved 


Made  in  the  United  States  of  America 
The  Gorham  Press,  Boston,  U.  S.  A. 


PREFACE 


IJ  AS  not  the  church  of  Christ  arrived  at  that  con- 
*  ^ception  of  her  place  in  the  world  where  she  should 
hecome  conscious  of  the  incongruities  of  her  present 
divided  state?  Is  it  not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the 
(Jhristian  conscience  of  this  generation  has  become  suffi- 
ciently sensitive  to  be  aroused  by  the  existing  evils  of 
our  present  denominationalism  ?  Has  not  the  time  come 
when  we  should  expect  a  higher  and  more  pronounced 
state  of  piety  than  present  day  Christians  manifest? 
(Jan  we  expect  the  Christian  ever  to  attain  any  verj' 
liigh  degree  of  Christian  character  while  there  rankles 
in  his  heart  such  feelings  towards  persons  whom  he 
recognizes  as  Christians  as  to  lead  him  to  refuse  to 
throw  down  the  denominational  partition  which  sepa- 
rates him  from  them?  Such  questions  and  the  reflec- 
tions which  have  followed  have  led  to  the  writing  of 
the  following  pages. 

If  some  of  the  strictures  upon  denominations  to  some 
seem  severe,  or  if  the  implied  condemnation  of  some 
classes  of  persons  appear  harsh,  will  you  not  judge 
kindly,  and  pardon  graciously,  for  be  assured  that 
only  the  most  intense  longing  to  speak  truly  has  moved 
the  writer.  All  along  there  has  been  an  honest  effort 
to  be  perfectly  fair.  The  endeavor  has  been  made  to 
present  the  actual  situation  as  it  exists  in  our  midst  to- 
day. No  imaginary  condition  has  been  presented,  but 
there  has  been  the  endeavor  to  paint  the  picture  from 
real  life.  From  beginning  to  end  there  has  been  one 
overmastering  desire,  a  prayer  breathed  on  every  papio, 
that  the  Name  of  the  Blessed  Lord  may  bo  honored, 
and  that  II is  prayer,  offennl  in  the  ui)p(M-  room  on  that 
last  night,  may  speedily  be  answered,  "That  they  all 

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PREFACE 


may  be  one ;  as  Thou,  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee, 
that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us:  that  the  world  may 
believe  that  Thou  hast  sent  me." 

Edwin  E.  Roaers, 

The  Manse,  Bowling  Green,  Ohio. 

December  1,  1916. 


CONTENTS 


cnAPTF.n  PAQE 

Introductory    9 

I.  A  Situation   19 

II.  Advantages  of  Denominationalism  ....  3r 

III.  Complications   55 

IV.  Conflicts   70 

V.  Hardships   84 

VI.  The  Waste  of  Denominationalism  ....  93 

VII.  The  Vainglory  of  Denominationalism  .  109 

VIII.  Denominationalism  a  Process  of  Stultifica- 
tion   127 

IX.  The  Apostolic  Ideal   148 

X.  An  Obligation   168 

XI.  A  Duty   186 

XII.  Possibilities   209 

XIII.  The  Next  Great  Awakening   223 

XIV.  A  Question  of  Action   239 


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INTRODUCTORY 

pROFESSOR  CHARLES  WOODRUFF  SHIELDS, 
*  of  Princeton  University,  in  his  book,  The  United 
Church  in  the  United  States,  in  the  opening  sentence 
of  the  preface,  says,  "It  has  been  becoming  evident  to 
many  thoughtful  observers  that  the  chief  Christian 
problem  of  our  age  is  the  reunion  of  Christendom,  and 
that  the  most  favorable  conditions  for  its  solution  are 
found  in  the  New  World."  Twenty-one  years  have 
elapsed  since  this  was  written.  During  this  time  so 
many,  and  so  important,  changes  in  the  relations  which 
exist  between  the  great  denominations  of  the  country 
have  taken  place  that  one  looks  in  surprise  and  wonders 
whether  the  situation  at  that  time  may  not  have  been  a 
vision  of  things  in  a  remote  past.  Slowly  a  spirit  of 
brotherhood  between  the  members  of  the  various  denom- 
inations has  been  developing.  The  tendency  to  form 
federations,  for  convenience  in  carrying  on  Christian 
work,  weak  and  uncertain  at  the  first,  has  become  a 
mighty  factor  in  religious  effort,  and  is  full  of  promise. 
Tliat  unity  which  a  few  years  ago  only  a  few  were  bold 
enough  to  suggest  has  come  to  be  a  popular  theme  for 
pulpit  and  platform.  With  varying  success  efforts  have 
been  made  in  Australia,  New  Zealand,  Scotland,  Canada 
and  the  United  States  to  bring  about  the  amalgamation 
of  some  of  the  denominations.  The  conviction  expressed 
by  Professor  Shields  has  been  extending  farther  and 
farther,  as  well  as  deepening.  It  must,  however,  be  ad- 
mitted that  the  leaders  in  our  cliurches  appear  to  have 

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experienced  no  very  profound  conviction  concerning 
the  obligations  of  church  unity.  It  is  looked  upon  as 
something  desirable,  a  kind  of  millennial  ideal,  so  far 
removed  from  present  possibilities  that  busy  practical 
men  need  give  it  no  special  consideration.  The  whole 
subject  is  looked  upon  as  the  fancy  of  dreamers.  . 

The  attitude  of  the  church  and  her  leaders  is  aptly 
illustrated  by  a  story  told  by  Dr.  Robert  Bruce,  of  the 
University  College,  London,  in  his  book.  Apostolic  Or- 
der and  Unity.  He  reports  a  conversation  which  once 
took  place  between  a  ^Mohammedan  priest  and  a  Mis- 
sionary. The  priest  asks,  "How  many  sects  have  you  in 
England?" 

IMissionary.  ' '  I  never  counted  them ;  but  presume  we 
have  as  many  as  IMohamraed  said  we  should  have. ' ' 

Priest.  "What  did  Mohamined,  peace  be  upon  him, 
say?" 

M.  "Art  thou  a  teacher  in  Islam,  and  knowest  not 
what  thy  prophet  said  ? ' ' 

P.    "Well,  what  did  he  say?" 

M.  "It  is  written  in  your  tradition  that  the  prophet 
said,  'There  were  seventy  sects  in  the  religion  of  IMoses, 
only  one  of  whom  went  to  heaven;  there  were  seventy- 
one  sects  among  the  Christians,  ditto ;  and  there  will  be 
seventy-two  sects  among  my  followers,  only  one  of  whom 
will  be  saved.'  "  The  Christian  leaders  while  applaud- 
ing church  unity  as  a  theory  appear  to  have  settled 
down  in  the  conviction  that  while  we  may  deplore  the 
present  unfortunate  situation,  we  find  it  everywhere, 
and  in  all  religions,  consequently  we  need  not  be  un- 
necessarily disquieted.  We  therefore  go  on  strengthen- 
ing the  bonds  which  hold  us  in  disunion.  We  have  be- 
come so  acclimated  to  this  kind  of  spiritual  climate  that 
it  seems  to  have  ceased  to  be  even  distasteful  to  us. 
Dollinger,  of  the  University  of  Munich,  in  his  book. 
The  Keunion  of  the  Churches,  more  than  forty  years 
ago  made  this  statement,  which  applies  with  equal  force 
to-day:  "It  cannot  bo  denied  that  there  is  somotliiiig 
repulsive  in  the  present  aspect  of  the  Christian  world. 


INTRODUCTORY 


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witli  its  shari)]y  divided  aud  hostile  churches  and  sects 
iiatui-ally  hating  and  incriminating  one  another.  And 
were  we  not  accustomed  to  the  sight  from  our  youth  up 
it  would  strike  us  as  still  uglier,  and  the  contrast  be- 
tween the  idea  and  the  reality  would  be  more  glaring 
in  our  eyes."  But  because  we  have  spent  our  lives  in 
such  an  ecclesiastical  chaos  we  have  grown  familiar  with 
the  din  of  discordant  notes.  "We  speak  glibly  of  the 
ideal  of  unity,  then  do  all  within  our  power  to  prede- 
termine that  such  an  ideal  shall  never  become  a  reality. 

We  discover  some  hopeful  tendencies.  There  is 
marked  disquiet  under  present  conditions.  All  sorts  of 
questions  are  being  discussed.  The  church  is  being  led 
from  her  former  lines  of  work  into  an  innumerable  num- 
ber of  new  departments.  "We  are  hearing  much  of  ' '  So- 
cial Service,"  and  are  discussing  "Social  Regeneration" 
as  something  just  discovered  and  brought  to  light. 
Turning  aside  from  the  old  ideas  of  Christianity,  when 
it  was  spoken  of  as  a  "Faith,"  we  speak  of  it  as  a 
"Life."  Men  have  grown  impatient  under  "Creeds" 
and  clamor  for  the  "Christ  Spirit,"  if  any  one  may 
know  just  what  this  may  be.  A  new  phraseology  has 
grown  up  within  the  last  twenty  years  which  would  have 
been  to  the  fathers  an  unknown  tongue.  We  have  de- 
veloped a  whole  race  of  ecclesiastical  specialists.  We 
have  specialists  in  Sunday  School  work,  specialists  in 
gathering  congregations,  specialists  in  raising  church 
debts,  specialists  for  work  among  the  young  people,  on 
the  "downtown  church,"  the  "country  church,"  "the 
social  life  of  the  church,"  specialists  on  church  enter- 
tainments, temperance,  the  "White  Slave"  traffic,  spe- 
cialists in  preaching  against  infidelity,  specialists  in 
evangelism,  in  short,  about  every  possible  kind  of  work 
has  found  specialists  who  assume  to  have  mastered  all 
the  intricacies  of  the  trade  and  are  ready  to  take  charge 
of  this  for  the  time  and  lead  the  congregation  from  be- 
neath all  her  burdens.  With  this  condition  there  has 
developed  a  tendency  on  ,  the  part  of  men  generally  to 
consider  the  old-fashioned  work  of  the  Pastor  as  out  of 


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date.  In  the  present  day  his  principal  work  appears  to 
be  to  arrange  dates  and  make  the  necessary  preparations 
for  the  advent  of  the  specialist.  It  is  the  specialist  who 
is  really  to  bring  results.  This  nervous  restlessness 
would  seem  to  indicate  a  conviction  that  the  church  is 
failing  to  accomplish  what  she  should.  Because  of  such 
failure  the  Pastors  and  church  Boards  resort  to  these 
ingenious  devices  as  a  means  to  strengthen  the  lines  of 
Protestantism.  This  restlessness  indicates  a  real  dis- 
satisfaction with  our  present  religious  status.  We  ap- 
pear to  understand  that  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  not  mov- 
ing on  as  it  should  and  we  take  these  methods  to  hasten 
its  progress. 

Over  against  this  we  find  a  line  of  tendencies,  men- 
tioned by  Professor  Shields  {The  Historic  Episcopate, 
p.  7).  "The  Churches  of  the  Old  World  as  transferred 
to  the  New,  compacted  together  under  one  political  sys- 
tem, have  been  growing  like  each  other  through  social 
intercourse  and  unconscious  imitation.  Protestants  have 
been  reviving  the  Catholic  sisterhood  and  fraternity 
under  new  names  and  guises ;  while  Catholics  are  resort- 
ing to  the  Protestant  platform  and  newspaper  in  their 
conflicts  and  troubles.  Episcopalians  have  restored 
Presbyterian  elements  to  their  polity  and  extempore 
prayers  to  their  liturgy ;  while  Presbyterians  are  recov- 
ering episcopal  agencies  of  administration  and  liturgical 
modes  of  worship.  Both  Presbyterians  and  Episco- 
palians have  learned  something  from  the  Methodist  re- 
vival ;  while  Methodists  have  learned  to  have  choirs  and 
divinity  schools  as  well  as  camp-meetings  and  lay- 
preachers."  This  pronounced  tendency  indicates  a 
movement,  not  apart,  but  towards  each  other  of  the 
various  denominations.  We  appear  to  have  arrived  at 
the  point  where  the  differences  seem  to  have  become  so 
slight  that  it  is  difficult  to  distinguish  between  some  of 
the  denominations.  While  denominational  leaders  have 
struggled  hard  to  liold  together  each  his  own  group  of 
churches,  and  the  changes  have  been  rung  out  on  the 
particular  denominational  shibboleths  as  a  means  of 


INTRODUCTORY 


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1 


rallying  the  scattered  forces,  still  we  must  admit  that 
within  the  last  decade  there  has  been  a  remarkable 
diminution  of  the  old-fashioned  denominational  spirit.  i 
As  at  no  time  since  the  days  of  Calvin,  Luther,  and  their  j 
associates  in  the  Reformation,  the  spirit  of  hostility  be-  j 
tween  the  churches  has  seemed  to  die  down.    Even  the  j 
clergy  have  so  far  lost  their  former  hatred  of  other  ec-  1 
clesiastical  organizations  than  their  own,  that  it  has  be-  j 
come  quite  easy  for  a  clergyman  of  one  denomination  to  i 
go  over  into  another.    It  was  not  long  ago  when  such  \ 
a  thing  would  have  caused  an  ugly  scandal.  j 
Now  such  a  change  of  church  relations  is  common,  ' 
causing  no  serious  comment.    As  a  Presbyterian  the  j 
writer  is  more  familiar  with  his  own  church  than  with  ; 
the  others,  but  it  is  not  improbable  that  what  is  true  of  ) 
the  Presbyterian  body  is  also  true  of  sister  denomina-  | 
tions.   In  the  year  ending  March  31,  1909,  88  ordained  i 
ministers  entered  the  Presbyterian  Church  coming  from  j 
other  denominations.   In  1910,  98  ;  1911,  140  ;  1912,  118 ; 
and  in  1913,  141;  1914,  142;  1915,  139,  and  1916,  121.  j 
When  we  remember  that  in  1916  the  number  of  young  1 
men  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  ordained  to  the  minis- 
try was  266,  while  121  came  from  other  denominations, 
we  readily  see  how  small  a  barrier  denominational  lines 
have  become.   During  the  five  years  ending  with  March 
31,  1913,  there  was  an  average  of  a  little  more  than  213 
young  men  ordained  to  the  ministry,  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  each  year.   There  was  an  annual  average 
of  117  who  entered  the  ministry  of  this  church  from 
other  denominations.   Almost  36  per  cent  of  the  increase 
of  the  ministry  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  came  from 
other  denominations.    For  the  sake  of  further  compari- 
son, going  back  to  the  year  1890  we  find  that  for  the 
five  preceding  years  only  6  1-10  per  cent  of  those  en- 
tering the  ministry  in  the  Presbyterian  body  came  from 
other  denominations.    In  about  twenty  years  the  num- 
ber of  ministers  entering  the  Presbyterian  Church  from 
other  denominations  increased  .from  6  1-10  to  36  per 
cent,  an  increase  in  ratio  of  600  per  cent.    When  we  i 


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remember  that  the  lines  drawn  about  the  ministry  in 
this  denomination  are  more  exacting,  and  are  more 
rigidly  adhered  to  than  in  others,  we  see  how  the  de- 
nominational lines,  which  a  generation  ago  were  so 
strong  that  for  a  man  to  go  from  the  ministry  of  one 
denomination  to  that  of  another  was  esteemed  sufficient 
to  cause  him  to  lose  caste  among  his  brethren,  are  wast- 
ing away.  Formerly  such  a  deflection  was  a  subject  for 
adverse  comment  and  severe  criticism  not  merely  by  the 
denomination  from  which  the  man  went,  but  by  the 
religious  press  of  all  denominations.  The  day  has  come 
when  such  a  change  can  take  place,  and  a  man's  stand- 
ing not  suffer.  This,  evidently,  is  due  to  the  fact  that 
the  differences  which  divide  communions  have  come  to 
be  considered  of  far  less  moment  than  formerly.  The 
large  number  of  ministers  from  other  denominations  en- 
tering the  ministry  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  seems 
to  indicate  that  in  all  the  denominations  less  stress  is 
laid  upon  doctrinal  differences  than  formerly.  Men  are 
no  longer,  even  in  the  ministry,  held  fast  by  denomina- 
tional ties.  Whether  we  deplore  this  as  evidence  of  a 
decadent  state  of  church  life,  or  look  upon  it  as  indica- 
tive of  a  higher  type  of  true  religion,  the  fact  must  be 
admitted.  It  shows  that  a  change  has  certainly  taken 
place.  It  marks  a  decided  trend  away  from  the  contro- 
versial spirit  of  a  generation  ago  to  a  condition  far  more 
favorable  to  a  final  coming  together  of  the  various  de- 
nominations into  one  grand  church  of  Christ.  From 
these  indications  we  would  judge  that  the  pioneer  work 
already  accomplished  is  bearing  fruit.  With  the  passing 
away  of  old  antagonisms  a  new  spirit  of  fratei*nity  is 
becoming  dominant.  Why  should  not  the  church  of 
Christ  take  advantage  of  this  condition?  Why  should 
not  the  leaders  of  the  church  commence  in  real  earnest 
a  movement  which  may  speedily  culminate  in  a  single 
organization  for  the  present  divided  kingdom  of  God  on 
earth? 

There  are  many  men,  who  are  loyal  to  their  own  de- 
nomiuatious,  whose  loyalty  to  the  teachings  of  the  Scrip- 


INTKODUCTORY 


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tures,  as  interpreted  by  their  denominations  none  would 
suspect,  who  have  labored  earnestly  for  the  building  up 
of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  denominational  lines,  who  for 
some  time  have  been  under  the  conviction  that  we  are 
working  at  a  great  disadvantage.  Not  a  few  are  con- 
vinced that  while  the  church  is  divided  into  so  many 
factions  there  can  be  only  a  partial  success  for  her. 
There  has  been,  it  may  be  somewhat  slowly,  developing 
a  conviction,  which  with  many  is  becoming  oppressive, 
that  this  divided  state  of  the  church  is  a  manifestation 
of  a  spirit  of  hostility.  It  seems  to  be  evidence  of  a  lack 
of  that  genuine  Christian  love,  which  is  being  so  loudly, 
and  rightly,  applauded.  It  looks  too  suggestive  of  a 
relation  between  the  Christians,  so  unlike  Christ,  that 
for  the  peace  of  Christendom  the  different  sects  must  be 
tj-eated  like  the  animals  in  the  menagerie,  each  placed 
i]i  a  separate  cage,  or  falling  upon  each  other  there  will 
bo  a  battle  to  the  death.  Such  a  spirit  certainly  has  very 
little  of  Christlikeness  in  it.  While  we  may  highly  rever- 
ence the  founders  of  our  denominations,  we  can  scarcely 
claim  that  to  maintain  denominational  contentions  in 
our  day  shows  in  any  marked  degree  Christian  charac- 
ter. It  is  unthinkable  that  the  Great  Head  of  the 
church  can  look  with  any  measure  of  complacency  upon 
the  distrust,  the  antagonisms,  the  contentious  spirit,  the 
wastefulness  of  men  and  money,  and  the  unpardonable 
(!xtravagance  in  the  use  of  Divine  grace,  involved  in  our 
present  denominational  struggles. 

One  may  well  question  whether  there  has  been  a  time 
since  Pentecost  until  the  opening  of  the  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury, when  tlie  church  has  needed  a  reformation  more 
sorely  than  she  does  to-day.  When  we  consider  the 
churcli  in  hor  morals  she  is  not  as  far  in  advance  of 
the  community  in  which  she  exists  as  she  should  be.  Is 
slio  prwlucing  men  of  profoundly  godly  character,  whose 
piety  shines  forth  as  evidence  of  an  indwelling  spirit? 
Are  the  lead(!rs  ol"  the  cIiuitIi  men  renowned  for  spir- 
itual purily  and  humility  V  If  there  is  to  be  a  Moderator 
of  a  General  Assembly,  a  President  of  a  Conference,  the 


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election  of  a  Bishop,  the  selection  of  some  one  to  stand 
at  the  head  of  his  denomination  self-constituted  candi- 
dates rise  up  on  every  side.  The  methods  to  which  as- 
I)irants  resort  to  secure  the  coveted  honors  cause  even 
seasoned  politicians  to  smile.  If  there  be  a  vacant  pul- 
pit at  all  desirable,  the  number  of  applicants  for  the 
place,  persons  in  every  instance,  holding  less  desirable 
positions  is  appalling.  If  we  may  judge  from  appear- 
ances it  is  true  that  among  Christians,  members  of  the 
church,  and  even  in  the  ministry,  there  is  a  similar 
thirst  for  honor  and  place  as  exists  in  the  heart  of  the 
irreligious  and  worldly.  We  must  admit  an  appalling 
deficiency  in  deep,  real  godliness.  This  we  find  in  all 
classes  from  the  worldly  spirited  member  of  the  church 
to  the  denominational  leaders.  The  most  conspicuous 
evangelists  of  our  time  are  none  of  them  famous  for 
their  piety.  It  is  suggestive  that  since  the  ch\irch  com- 
menced her  divisive  course,  bringing  forth  brood  after 
brood  of  denominations,  piety,  that  peculiar  type  of 
character  which  in  spirit  is  Christlikeness,  has  not  been 
conspicuous.  It  is  true  that  great  men,  great  church- 
men, have  lived,  but  far  too  often  their  greatness  was 
manifested  to  the  best  advantage  in  controversy.  There 
must  be  something  wrong  in  the  kind  of  character  which 
our  modern  Christianity  is  producing.  This  may  be 
illustrated  by  supposing  that  somewhere  among  the 
western  mountains  two  communities  grew  up.  Suppose 
that  these  communities  were  near  together,  and  rivalries 
developed.  The  bitterness  increased  until  a  kind  of  in- 
ternecine warfare  resulted.  So  long  as  such  contentions 
continued  would  yon  expect  a  very  strong,  devout  re- 
ligious character  to  develop?  Has  it  been  our  experi- 
ence that  when  there  is  dissension  in  a  little  community, 
or  a  country  congregation,  the  condition  favored  the 
liighest  and  most  devout  type  of  religious  experience? 
Tlie  spirt  of  controversy  is  always  looked  upon  as  un- 
favorable 1o  religious  growth.  Now  for  more  than  four 
hundred  years  (!liristendom  has  been  rent  asunder  by 
controversy.    Such  a  state  is  inimical  to  the  develop- 


INTEODUCTORY 


17 


ment  of  a  devout  faith,  a  simple  trust  in  God,  and  that 
humble  sweetness  of  character  which  indicates  that  the 
man  has  lost  himself  in  Christ  his  Lord. 

It  can  scarcely  be  necessary  for  us  to  proceed  farther. 
It  is  evident  that  there  is  something  wrong  in  the 
church.  "Were  this  not  the  case  we  would  not  have  such 
a  multitude  of  separate  camps  of  the  blaster's  hosts. 
Doubtless,  we  all  regret  exceedingly  the  situation.  It 
is  the  prayer  of  every  believer,  not  that  the  Great  Head 
of  the  church  would  establish  more  firmly  these  divi- 
sions, but  that  our  differences  might  disappear,  and  that 
the  church  might  be  one.  even  as  the  Son  is  one  with 
the  Father.  It  is  true  that  we  all  greatly  desire  that 
among  all  the  people  of  God  there  might  be  perfect  har- 
mony. "We  may  at  times  defend  denominationalism, 
nevertheless  while  so  doing  we  deeply  regret  that  de- 
nominations exist.  In  the  moments  when  we  come  near- 
est to  Christ,  when  the  world  recedes  and  the  things  of 
God  appear  as  the  great  and  only  realities,  wlien  the 
spiritual  life  appears  as  the  one  only  thing  worthy  of 
the  human  soul,  then  as  the  state  of  the  church,  so  di- 
vided, comes  before  us  the  heart  is  filled  with  unutter- 
able sadness.  As  we  go  from  city  to  city  and  from  coun- 
try village  to  country  village  those  structures,  edifices 
which  .should  be  to  the  glory  of  the  crucified  Lord,  rise 
before  us,  each  bearing  the  stamp  of  some  particular  de- 
nomination, representing  an  angry  controversy,  whicli 
separated  those  who  should  have  been  brothers  in  Christ, 
and  that  which  should  have  been  a  monument  of  in- 
finite love  redeeming  a  lost  world,  is  sadly  transformed 
and  becomes  a  memorial  of  human  discord  and  theo- 
logical controversy.  It  is  not  true  that  the  names  Pres- 
byterian, Metho(list,  Congregational,  Episcopal.  Lu- 
theran, and  a  multitude  of  other  similar  appellations 
stand  for  the  church.  The  name  church  means  Christ, 
and  stands  for  Him.  These  other  names  to  the  thought- 
ful .student  of  church  history  bi-ing  to  iniiul  periods  of 
contention  and  strife.  All  these  separate  bodies  e(|ually 
believe  in  Christ.   They  all  believe,  and  with  a  measure 


18 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


of  zeal  proclaim  the  same  fundamental  doctrines  of  sal- 
vation. They  preach  the  same  crucified  Lord.  They 
differ  not  in  their  desire  to  lead  the  lost  world  to  a 
Savior.  Not  one  of  these  names  stand  for  these  doc- 
trines. The  church  stands  for  these.  These  names  are 
simply  the  scars  left  from  controversy.  These  scars, 
blemishes  on  our  beloved  Christianity,  we  are  seeking 
to  our  own  dishonor,  to  perpetuate.  Yes,  there  is  some- 
thing wrong  in  the  church.  It  is  time  that  Christians 
should  arouse  themselves,  and  set  themselves  seriously 
at  work  to  right  the  wrong.  One  cannot  restrain  the 
intense  desire  that  the  old  theological  battlefields  might 
he  left  behind  forever,  and  that  the  multitude  of  the 
divisions  of  the  church  of  our  Lord  might  come  together 
in  one  splendid,  harmonious,  glorious  body  of  Christ. 


CHAPTER  I 


A  SITUATION 


HE  Eeformation  of  the  16th  Century  was  preceded 


by  a  season  of  general  religious  unrest.  This  re- 
sulted from  a  variety  of  contributing  causes.  The 
church  had  become  formal  and  worldly.  Her  leaders 
d(!voted  their  time  to  political  intrigues  and  ecclesias- 
tical contention.  The  people  remained  uninstruetod  in 
the  elements  of  religion.  There  was  little  real  devout 
earnest  effort  to  attain  a  genuine  religious  character. 
The  priesthood  having  left  its  place  of  honor,  as  lead- 
ing in  religious  living,  and  turning  to  the  pleasures  of 
tliis  life,  grew  sensiial  and  avaricious  and  became  a  re- 
proach to  the  church.  It  was  an  open  secret  that  not 
unfrequently  the  clergy  while  continuing  in  the  minis- 
try of  their  holy  ofRce  indulged  in  excesses  and  prac- 
tices which  scandalized  whole  communities.  Conten- 
tions arose  between  ecclesiastical  leaders  and  temporal 
rulers.  There  was  frequent  discord  among  high  eliurcli 
dignitaries.  The  church  seemed  no  longer  a  spiritual 
power,  but  her  holy  officials  had  become  ambitious  as- 
pirants for  worldly  fame  and  riches.  The  Albigen.ses 
in  southern  France,  and  the  Waldenses  in  northern 
Italy,  through  reformatory  councils  had  endeavored  to 
resist  the  depressing  inlluences  everywhere  engulfing 
the  church.  Individuals,  like  Wiclif  and  the  Lollards 
in  England,  Jolin  IIuss  in  Bohemia,  Arnold  and  Savona- 
rola in  Italy,  had  uttered  their  protests  and  sought  to 
arouse  the  chun^h  to  a  consciousness  of  her  danger.  Here 
and  tlierc  ajjix-ared  iticu  oi"  less  prominence  who  dis- 
satisfied with  the  existing  state  of  tilings  were  sincerely 
striving  to  attain  a  purer  faith  and  a  holier  life.  The 


19 


20 


THE  DIVIDED  ROUSE 


leaders  of  the  church  were  deaf  to  every  sound  of  dis- 
content while  they  quarreled  with  the  German  princes 
over  temporalities.  Their  profligacy  increased  their 
need  of  funds  and  there  was  deep  scheming  to  provide 
larger  financial  resources.  A  great  effort  was  put  forth 
to  secure  money  that  buildings  of  vast  proportions  un- 
der construction  might  be  carried  to  completion.  Among 
the  people  there  developed  general  dissatisfaction.  Not 
a  few  of  the  clergj',  grieving  over  what  seemed  to  them 
so  sad  a  condition  in  the  church,  sought  with  com- 
mendable fidelity  to  cultivate  in  their  parishes  a  true 
and  devout  type  of  religious  life.  They  longed  for  and 
earnestly  prayed  for  a  reform,  but  were  helpless  to 
bring  it  about.  In  some  of  the  universities  were  found 
instructors,  conspicuous  for  the  purity  of  their  lives  and 
tlieir  devout  spirit,  like  John  Staupitz  in  Germany. 
Robert  d 'Olivet  in  France,  who  were  seeking  to  lead 
the  church  from  tlie  existing  corruptions  in  life  and 
faith  to  the  simpler  teachings  of  the  Scriptures.  Such 
a  condition  in  the  church  could  not  fail  to  bring  her 
into  disrepute.  The  people  honored  the  godly  men 
whom  they  recognized  here  and  there,  but  the  great 
ortrniiization,  the  church,  which  claimed  to  be  the 
vehicle  of  Divine  grace,  was  fast  ceasing  to  be  revered. 
Tier  teacliers  were  disregarded  and  her  authority  was 
spurned.  Infidelity  sprung  \ip  on  all  sides  and  there 
was  evidence  of  a  coming  religious  collapse.  At  this 
time  the  father  of  John  Calvin,  an  of?icial  in  the  church, 
loyal  to  her  teachings,  who  had  determined  to  dedicate 
his  son  to  her  service,  foresaw  the  coming  storm  and 
diverted  his  promising  child  from  holy  orders  to  the 
law.  Among  a  class  of  men  who  sincerely  gave  them- 
selves to  a  careful  study  of  the  religious  condition  of 
the  day  there  were  some  who  openly  expressed  a  long- 
ing for  purer  things.  Others  seeming  to  have  lost  their 
('(lulidcnce  in  religion,  discarding  the  claims  of  the 
chiircli  became  open  unbeliever.s.  To  a  few  it  ajjpearcd 
necessary  to  look  elsewlicre  than  to  the  clnirch  for  lead- 
ership in  any  general  religious  reform.    There  was  a 


A  SITUATION 


21 


breaking  away  from  the  old  authority  and  a  disposition 
for  every  man  in  his  own  way  to  seek  to  build  for  him- 
self a  basis  of  authority  upon  which  a  purified  ecclesi- 
astical organization  might  be  established.  At  this  time 
the  great  leaders  of  the  Reformation  appeared :  Luther, 
Calvin,  Melancthon,  Zwingli,  Oecolampadius,  and  their 
associates.  As  earnest  and  true  men  they  commenced 
to  feel  their  way,  each  differing  from  all  the  others  in 
many  minor  matters.  They  all  agreed  as  to  the  necessity 
to  break  away  from  the  established  church.  Besides 
the  great  leaders  a  multitude  of  lesser  lights  sprung  up, 
striving  to  build  up  an  organization  which  should  em- 
body their  peculiar  views.  As  the  Reformation  con- 
tinued and  the  leading  reformed  churches,  the  Lutheran 
in  Germany,  the  Reformed  in  Switzerland,  France  and 
Ihc  Netherlands,  extending  over  the  Channel  into  Scot- 
land, and  permeating  England,  became  established,  it 
was  discovered  that  the  spirit  of  disintegration  which 
had  been  strengthened  by  the  discussion  out  of  which 
these  organizations  had  grown  was  most  powerfully 
working  through  the  whole  Protestant  body.  With  re- 
spect for  the  old  ecclesiastical  authorities  destroyed, 
with  a  suspicion  of  any  man,  or  circle  of  men  who  might 
bo  acquiring  unusual  influence,  the  new  movement  was 
left  without  a  steadying  hand.  Wanting  in  solidarity, 
it  fell  into  unfortunate  extremes.  No  man  was  bound 
by  any  authority,  not  even  by  custom  to  recognize  any 
particular  leader.  No  one  man  was  recognized  as  a 
leader  of  all.  Every  one  conceiving  himself  to  be  under 
no  outside  restraint  pushed  ahead  to  find  a  way  of  work 
and  a  system  of  faith  which  might  best  comport  with 
the  ideals  which  he  was  forming.  The  result  was  not 
alone  many  different  schemes  of  faith  and  polity,  but  an 
undue  magnifying  of  rival  theories.  This  gave  to  them 
for  the  time  a  place  of  fictitious  importance.  The  au- 
thority of  the  old  church  was  gone.  Tlie  Reformed 
church,  unable  to  unify  hersc'If,  had  failed  to  attain  a 
place  of  authority.  There  was  thrown  o])en  a  fi(;ld  for 
ecclesiastical  exploitation  and  many  hastened  to  take 


22 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


advantage  of  the  opportunity.  For  more  than  three 
hundred  years  we  have  been  reaping  the  fruit  of  this 
unfortunate  situation.  The  spirit  of  disunion  has  proven 
to  be  the  evil  genius  of  Protestantism.  Its  work  has 
been  so  widespread  that  venturesome  indeed  would  be 
the  man  who  to-day  would  presume  to  give  the  number 
of  Protestant  denominations.  The  number  runs  into  the 
hundreds,  we  meet  them  everywhere.  Each  of  these  or- 
ganizations claim  to  stand  for  some  separate  truth  suffi- 
ciently essential  to  true  Christianity  to  justify  the  form- 
ing of  a  separate  organization  for  the  purpose  of 
proclaiming  this  truth,  which  is  made  a  matter  of  con- 
science. Some  of  these  divisions  have  grown  out  of 
distinctively  theological  questions,  such  as  Calvinism, 
and  Lutherism,  and  others.  Some  took  for  their  point 
of  departure  a  question  of  church  government,  as  for 
example,  the  Episcopalian  Church,  Presbyterian  and 
Congregational.  Again  others  split  upon  the  question 
of  liturgy  or  no  liturgy.  We  have  almost  every  con- 
ceivable thing  made  a  basis  for  some  new  religious  de- 
nomination. These  denominations  have  usually,  we  had 
almost  said,  always,  been  started  by  some  man,  an  indi- 
vidual, who  because  of  some  fancied  discovery,  theo- 
logical possibly  or  because  he  felt  himself  restrained  in 
his  liberty,  knowing  that  there  was  an  open  field  led 
forth  a  little  company  of  followers  and  commenced  the 
struggle  to  establish  a  new  church.  Most  unfortunate 
for  the  cause  of  Christianity  has  been  the  result.  H.  K. 
Carroll,  LL.D.,  who  for  years  has  been  the  head  of  the 
ecclesiastical  department  of  the  Census  Bureau,  at 
Washington,  from  his  intimate  familiarity  with  the  de- 
nominational divisions  of  this  country  makes  the  state- 
ment, that  "No  denomination  has  thus  far  proved  to  bo 
too  small  for  division."  The  great  denominations  have 
broken  up  into  smaller  ones,  which  in  turn  have  again 
divided,  and  the  fragments  have  gone  on  and  divided 
again.  Sometimes  the  divisions  hold  precisely  the  same 
creed,  and  employ  tlie  same  polity  or  form  of  govern- 
ment.  Not  uufrequently  the  members  of  these  separate 


A  SITUATION 


23 


denominations  are  unable  to  tell  intelligently,  just  how 
tlieir  church  differs  from  another.  The  Census  gives 
twelve  different  kinds  of  Presbyterians,  thirteen  differ- 
ent kinds  of  Baptists,  and  that  the  Methodist  persuasion 
may  be  properly  cared  for  they  have  split  themselves 
into  seventeen  different  denominations,  each  being 
Methodist.  "We  have  in  our  own  country  some  say  143 
different  Protestant  denominations,  and  some  make  the 
number  even  greater.  What  a  spectacle  is  this  to  the 
unchristian  world !  No  wonder  that  men  think  lightly 
of  the  church.  What  must  the  unbeliever  think  of  a 
faith  which  engenders  such  controversy?  Is  it  strange 
that  sometimes  when  an  unbeliever  is  urged  to  consider 
the  claims  of  Christianity,  and  to  take  his  place  as  a 
Christian  before  the  world  that  the  insolent  question  is 
hurled  back,  "What  kind"?  It  is  true  that  Christians 
liave  always  and  everywhere  greatly  regretted  the  situ- 
ation. We  admit,  with  sadness,  that  it  is  a  great,  a 
lamentable  misfortune,  but  still  we  continue  the  di- 
visions. 

Within  the  last  forty  years  a  notable  change  in  the 
spirit  of  the  churches  has  taken  place.  Fifty  and  more 
years  ago,  much  of  the  emphasis  of  preaching  was  on 
the  drawing  of  the  line  which  separated  the  given  de- 
nomination from  all  others.  Sermons  showing  the  falacy 
of  the  position  of  other  churches  and  the  logical  posi- 
tion of  "our  own"  were  common  and  popular.  Tlie 
fraternal  spirit  was  so  weak  as  to  be  scarcely  recogniz- 
al)le,  the  dominant  spirit,  in  both  pulpit  and  pew,  was 
iiifciiso  partizansliip.  The  Mcithodist,  wherever  he  went 
remained  a  Methodist,  being  scarcely  willing  to  enter 
a  ])uilding  of  anotlier  denomination.  This  was  true  of 
all  the  denominations.  A  minister  of  one  denomination 
was  almost  never  seen  in  a  pulpit  of  another  church. 
Friendly  co-operation  among  the  denominations  of  a 
community  was  practically  unheard  of.  A  happy 
change  has  come  about.  To-day  we  find  a  readiness 
among  all  Christian  churohes  to  join  in  fraternal  rela- 
tion.   The  evidence  of  this  is  found  in  the  very  general 


24 


THE  DIVIDED  ROUSE 


exchange  of  pulpits  and  co-operation  in  a  variety  of 
ways.  It  has  ceased  to  be  a  denominational  scandal,  or 
even  difficult  for  a  minister  of  one  denomination  to  ac- 
cept a  pastorate  in  another.  Such  a  passing  of  denomi- 
national lines  has  become  a  simple  news  item  in  a  re- 
ligious paper.  Among  the  laymen,  when  a  Methodist 
or  Presbyterian  moves  from  one  town  to  another  it  is 
far  from  certain  what  denomination  he  will  choose  for 
a  church  home.  As  a  rule  to-day,  in  our  cities,  where 
there  is  an  opportunity  for  a  choice,  more  depends  upon 
the  pastor  of  a  church  than  upon  its  denominational 
connection.  There  is  no  Presbyterian  Church  whose 
membership  is  not  drawn  from  nearly  all  other  de- 
nominations. This  is  true  of  the  i\Iethodist.  Congrega- 
tionalist  and  other  churches.  The  old  spirit  of  hos- 
lility  on  the  part  of  men  and  women  towards  other  de- 
nominations than  their  own  is  steadily  disappearing. 
The  denominational  name  to-day  has  far  less  influence 
than  it  had  fifty  years  ago.  The  change  has  not  stopped 
at  this  point.  Laymen  and  ministers  here  and  there 
are  seriously  asking  why  do  we  have  so  many  churches? 
Do  we  need  them?  With  good  reason  men  are  a.sking 
why  do  we  need  twelve  different  kinds  of  Presbyterians, 
or  seventeen  different  kinds  of  Methodists?  Some  are 
going  so  far  as  to  raise  the  question,  with  all  serious- 
ness, why  should  we  have  Presbyterians,  Methodists, 
liaptists.  Congregationalist  at  all?  Are  not  all  Chris- 
tian? Do  not  all  believe  in  the  same  Christ?  Have  we 
not  all  the  same  Holy  Scriptures,  and  do  we  not  all  wor- 
ship the  same  God?  Do  we  not  believe  that  we  are  all 
directed  by  the  same  Holy  Spirit?  Do  we  not  pray  to 
the  same  Deity,  for  the  same  things  ard  in  the  same 
manner?  Do  we  not  give  thanks  for  the  same  benefits, 
to  the  same  blessed  God?  Do  we  not  sing  the  same 
hymns  in  our  praise?  Are  we  not  agreed  upon  every 
doctrine  essential  to  salvation  ?  Do  we  not  to-day  recog- 
nize the  members  of  all  evangelical  ehurehes  as  Chris- 
tians? Then  why  should  we  refuse  to  work  together, 
and  to  worship  together?    Why  should  we  divide  the 


A  SITUATION 


25 


Lord's  hosts  into  a  multitude  of  smaller  camps,  inde- 
pendent each  of  all  the  others?  Why  should  the  great 
army  of  Christ  be  forcibly  divided  into  so  many  little 
armies,  which  are  in  an  important  sense,  hostile  to  each 
other?  Men  have  commenced  to  see  that  in  such  a  con- 
dition we  find  something  incongruous  with  the  nature  of 
our  religion.  They  are  asking  why  should  such  a  con- 
dition exist.  AVe  are  forced  to  admit  that  such  ques- 
tions are  pertinent.  They  ought  to  make  us  thoughtful. 
That  we  may  see  how  this  appears  to  the  man  outside 
the  church,  to  a  so-called  man  of  the  world,  let  us  take 
a  concrete  instance,  not  a  fictitious  case,  something  fan- 
cied as  a  possibility,  to  illustrate,  but  a  case  which  oc- 
curred in  our  own  country,  and  within  the  last  few 
years.   Its  spirit  could  be  duplicated  hundreds  of  times. 

Some  years  ago  nestling  in  a  beautiful  valley  among 
the  mountains  of  Idaho  was  a  little  town.  It  started  as 
a  mining  camp.  A  few  enterprising  farmers  had  taken 
up  some  government  land  and  the  village  was  fast  be- 
coming permanent  and  prosperous.  The  settlers,  both 
miners  and  farmers,  were  a  good  natured,  ambitious 
company  of  men,  but  almost  entirely  without  religious 
training  or  interest.  The  usual  conditions  found  under 
such  circumstances  existed  in  this  village.  Drinking 
was  universal,  immorality  was  common,  and  the  Chris- 
tian Sabbath  was  devoted  to  excesses  of  all  kinds.  Gam- 
bling was  universal.  In  the  carousals  of  the  day  it  was 
not  unfrequent  that  some  one  was  badly  injured,  and 
now  and  then  a  life  was  snuffed  out.  It  was  said  that  in 
all  the  community,  in  the  village,  among  the  neighboring 
farmers,  or  those  working  in  the  mines  there  was  not  a 
single  man  known  to  have  been  religious.  A  young 
slender  fellow,  fresh  from  one  of  our  Kastern  Theologi- 
cal Schools,  under  commission  of  one  oE  the  Home  Mis- 
sion Hoards,  visited  the  town.  He  was  convinced  that 
hero  was  tlie  opportunity  for  which  he  was  in  search. 
Not  sun;  that  he  could  accomplish  anylliing,  or  even 
persuade  the  rough  men  1o  [x-rmit  him  1o  remain  loiig, 
lie  decided  to  remain  over  the  following  Sabbath,  and 


26 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


if  possible  preach.  He  was  surprised  to  find  how  read- 
ily  the  men  took  hold  of  the  matter  and  easily  he 
secured  a  congregation  which  included  the  larger  part 
of  the  men  of  the  entire  community.  There  was  no 
church  building,  or  hall  which  was  deemed  suitable,  by 
the  men,  but  they  joined  together  and  cleared  out  the 
largest  saloon  in  the  town,  and  arranged  for  its  use  as 
a  place  of  worship.  During  the  services  the  bar  was 
closed,  and  gambling  ceased.  All  were  eager  to  hear 
what  the  young  preacher  would  have  to  say.  The  men, 
rough  and  godless,  were  nevertheless  pleased  with  the 
straightforward  boldness  of  the  young  man,  and  though 
he  did  not  hesitate  to  condemn  their  mode  of  life,  they 
believed  him  to  be  sincere  and  immediately  proposed 
that  he  become  their  preacher,  and  remain  with  them. 
They  had  saloons,  several,  a  good  general  store,  a  dance 
hall,  a  place  which  was  called  a  hotel,  and  now  if  they 
had  a  church  they  would  be  complete,  yes,  they  must 
have  a  church  for  their  town  was  a  wide  awake,  enter- 
prising place,  and  with  a  chiarch  they  would  have  all 
that  a  town  needed.  They  were  pleased  with  the  young 
man,  and  they  would  have  him  stay.  So  the  invitation 
was  given  to  the  young  minister  to  remain,  and  they 
would  provide  for  him.  It  soon  became  evident  to  the 
men  that  a  saloon  was  not  the  place  for  their  religious 
services  and  they  must  have  a  building.  At  once  they 
raised  the  money  and  put  up  a  church  building.  With- 
out help  they  raised  for  their  minister  a  salary  of 
$1,800  per  year,  and  everything  started  oif  in  a  very 
satisfactory  manner.  The  town  grew,  there  were  con- 
verts, a  church  was  organized  and  shared  in  the  pros- 
perity of  the  place.  In  a  couple  of  years  the  place  was  a 
prosperous  growing  village  of  several  hundred  inhabi- 
tants. Another  missionary,  about  this  time,  hearing 
of  the  town,  and  that  there  was  but  one  church,  and  as 
it  appeared  that  the  place  would  become  an  important 
strategic  point,  made  a  tour  of  exploration  to  the  village, 
lie  was  pleased  with  what  he  found  and  decided  to  re- 
main and  open  a  mission  of  his  own  denomination.  A 


A  SITUATION 


27 


few  weeks  passed.  His  purpose  became  evident  to  the 
men  of  the  town.  He  selected  a  site  for  his  new  build- 
ing, and  went  out  into  the  community  to  raise  as  much 
money  as  he  could  to  erect  another  church  building. 
The  community,  at  first  suspicious,  when  they  saw  him 
actually  preparing  to  build,  was  displeased.  A  confer- 
ence was  quietly  held,  and  one  day  a  committee  visited 
the  young  man  and  made  a  statement  to  him  something 
like  this :  ' '  You  want  to  build  in  this  town  a  new 
church.  We  are  not  able  to  support  two  churches.  We 
do  not  need  two  churches.  We  can  take  good  care  of 
one  and  we  will  do  it.  We  will  not  have  two  churches, 
so  you  can  just  move  on,  or  we  will  move  you.  The  men 
of  this  town  have  appointed  us  a  committee  to  give  you 
our  ininds  on  this  subject,  and  to  see  that  you  go."  The 
missionary  who  went  to  the  town  first,  was  the  man  who 
told  me  the  story,  and  he  added,  "The  man  who  hoped 
to  build  the  second  church  decided  that  he  would  not 
remain  and  moved  on."  It  may  be  true  that  this  was 
a  somewhat  unusual  and  rough  manner  to  deal  with  such 
a  case,  but  it  was  really  effective.  After  all  were  not 
the  rough  miners  right?  It  may  seem  a  little  severe  to 
our  modern  ideals,  to  put  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel  in  the 
class  of  undesirables,  but  are  we  not  compelled  to  admit 
that  under  the  circumstances  these  men  showed  a  most 
excellent  judgment?  Had  all  the  new  towns  which  have 
been  sjjringing  up  through  the  great  western  country 
during  the  past  seventy  years  taken  a  similar  deter- 
mined stand  it  would  have  saved  our  Home  Missions 
Boards  millions  of  dollars,  and  the  probabilities  are  that 
to-day  the  religious  condition  of  our  country  would  be 
in  better  condition  than  it  is. 

In  every  small  town  we  find  a  group  of  little  feeble 
churches.  Their  buildings  are  cheap,  and  out  of  repair. 
Their  half  starved  pastors  are  waging  a  kind  of  in- 
ternecine warfare  in  a  running  struggle  to  maintain 
their  precarious  existence  by  gainirig  members  from 
tlieir  comi)etitors.  Not  long  ago  an  incident  occurred 
which  shows  how  such  a  course  impresses  an  unchristian 


28 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


business  man.  This  also  occurred  in  one  of  onr  western 
states  and  in  a  mountain  town.  The  pastor  of  one  of 
five  churches,  in  a  village  of  a  few  hundred  people,  de- 
cided that  for  the  accommodation  of  several  of  his  coun- 
try members,  living  so  far  distant  that  they  drove  to 
church,  it  would  be  wise  to  erect  a  number  of  horse- 
sheds.  In  the  village  there  was  one  general  store  owned 
by  a  successful,  shrewd  business  man.  He  was  not  a 
Christian  nor  was  he  frequently  at  any  church.  The 
minister  could  readily  see  that  these  proposed  sheds 
would  be  a  great  convenience  to  the  customers  of  this 
store.  Six  days  in  the  week  the  men  who  came  to  make 
their  purchases  here  would  use  the  sheds  and  one  day 
they  would  be  used  by  persons  attending  church.  The 
merchant  was  therefore  approached  and  asked  if  he 
would  donate  a  keg  of  nails  for  the  building  of  the 
sheds.  It  was  explained  to  him  how  great  a  benefit 
would  accrue  to  his  customers.  "Yes,"  he  said,  "I  sup- 
pose that  I  will  have  to  give  anyway,"  so  he  gave  the 
nails.  The  minister  thanked  him  and  was  tiirning  to 
leave  when  the  merchant  called  him  back  and  preached 
to  the  minister  the  kind  of  a  sermon  which  was  lodged 
in  his  mind.  This  is  the  substance  of  what  he  said : 
""Why  do  your  Christian  people  have  so  many  chui'ches 
in  this  little  town  ?  It  docs  not  seem  to  me  like  good 
business  sense.  »"What  would  you  think  of  me  if  I.  who 
could  do  twice  the  business  which  I  am  now  doing,  with 
the  same  help,  in  my  present  building,  if  I  only  had  the 
business,  should  go  up  yonder  on  the  hillside  and  put 
up  another  building,  stock  it.  secure  clerks  and  a  book- 
keeper and  run  it  in  opposition  to  this  one?  Not  content 
with  this,  suppose  that  I  go  over  on  that  corner,  and  put 
up  still  another  building  and  fit  it  out  with  the  necessary 
stock  of  goods  and  put  in  the  help,  and  open  it  up?  A 
little  later  I  go  down  into  the  middle  of  the  next  block 
over  there,  and  build  a  fourth  building.  I  go  on  build- 
ing stores,  fitting  them  out  and  putting  in  the  help  until 
T  have  in  this  town  five  separate  stores  selling  the  same 
kind  of  goods,  competing  with  each  other.  Would 


A  SITUATION 


29 


you  think  mc  a  fool  or  crazy?  Well,  this  seems  to  me 
to  bo  about  the  way  that  you  Christians  are  trying  to 
do  business.  You  came  to  this  town  some  time  ago,  and 
put  up  that  church  on  the  hillside,  called  the  Congre- 
gational church,  whicli  was  all  right,  for  we  needed  one 
cliurch.  Then  the  Methodists  came  and  built  another, 
over  on  the  corner.  It  was  not  long  before  the  Baptists 
appeared,  purchased  a  lot,  and  erected  their  building. 
Then  came  the  Presbyterians  and  the  Episcopalians.  At 
once  you  men,  the  preachers  of  these  churches,  begin  to 
go  up  and  down  our  streets  saying,  "Come  to  my 
church,  it  is  really  the  best  church  in  town."  You, 
a  Congrcgationalist,  tell  me  that  yours  is  the  simplest, 
best  kind  of  religion.  The  Baptist  minister  follows  you 
and  explains  tliat  while  you  are  pretty  good  you  are  not 
loyal  to  the  Bible  in  some  ways.  The  Baptist  Church 
is  just  right.  He  is  followed  by  the  Methodist  minister 
who  says  that  the  only  real,  live,  spiritual- type  of  Chris- 
tianity is  found  in  his  church.  He  offers  the  simon- 
pure  article.  The  Presbyterian  man  tells  me  that  while 
tlie  other  churches  have  the  right  aim.  his  is  the  most 
intelligent,  and  Presbyterians  instead  of  being  controlk'd 
by  the  emotions,  are  under  the  control  of  reason  and 
conviction.  The  rector  of  the  Episcopal  Church  tells 
ine  that  you  are  all  renegades,  tliat  in  a  fit  of  anger  you 
broke  away,  and  set  up  for  yourselves,  and  that  he  repre- 
sents the  only  original  pure  Apostolic  Church.  Now  I 
know  very  little  about  religion,  as  I  have  never  experi- 
enced anything  of  the  sort,  but  tell  me,  which  of  you 
fellows  are  right?  Whom  is  a  man  like  me  to  believe? 
One  thing  seems  sure,  and  you  all  have  to  admit  it,  that 
it  do(!S  not  matter  much  which  a  man  takes,  and  some 
of  us  come  to  feel  that  possibly  it  does  not  make  much 
difference  whether  we  take  any  of  your  religions.  No, 
Sir,  I  will  not  mix  up  with  any  of  you.  ITow  can  f  tell 
whether  aiiy  of  you  are  right?  I  say  let  a  man  do  the 
best  he  can,  and  then  take  his  chances.  It  is  just  as 
well  to  do  this  outside  your  churches  as  inside,  so  far  as 
I  can  see." 


30 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


While  we  do  not  approve  of  this  man's  position,  or 
accept  his  philosophy,  still  we  are  forced  to  admit  that 
it  has  logic.  He  is  a  plain  uneducated  man  of  the 
world.  He  understands  some  of  the  principles  of  busi- 
ness, as  it  is  conducted  in  Idaho,  and  from  this  he  rea- 
sons. He  shows  clearly  how  the  competition  between 
the  five  churches  appeared  to  him.  The  man  who  was 
the  pastor  of  the  little  struggling  Congregational 
church,  and  who  gave  the  incident  was  the  first  man  to 
open  religious  services  in  the  community.  So  long  as 
his  was  the  only  church  in  town  his  work  was  abun- 
dantly prosperous.  The  congregations  increased  in 
numbers,  persons  united  with  the  church,  the  influence 
of  the  church  in  the  town  was  felt  so  there  was  a  gen- 
eral improvement  in  the  moral  conditions  of  the  com- 
munity. As  the  other  churches  became  established  in- 
terest seemed  to  be  divided,  the  influence  of  religion 
diminished,  people  became  irregular  in  their  attendance, 
and  the  churches  were  forced  to  struggle  for  existence. 
The  prevailing  belief  was  that  it  does  not  much  matter 
what  a  man  believes,  or  how  he  lives,  provided  he  be  a 
good,  square,  honest  man.  With  five  organized 
churches,  and  five  men  working  hard  in  a  community, 
which  would  furnish  a  good  support  for  one  church, 
the  aggregate  attendance  was  scarcely  more  than  it  was 
when  there  was  but  a  single  church.  The  preachers 
were  looked  upon  by  the  community  as  competitors. 
Whether  in  the  pulpit,  on  the  streets,  or  in  the  homes, 
they  were  considered  as  each  trying  "to  outshine"  the 
others.  The  rough,  boisterous,  somewhat  dissipated  but 
really  good  hearted  men  of  the  community  looked  upon 
the  five  struggling  churches,  with  their  pushing,  ener- 
getic ministers  as  the  merchant  did.  To  accomplish 
much  under  such  conditions  was  difficult  indeed.  But 
these  preachers  were  all  Christians.  They  were  all  sent 
out  by  the  Christian  church.  Their  brethren  in  the 
East  sent  the  funds  to  make  their  work  possible.  Their 
churches  were  founded  iipon  the  Word  of  God.  The 
great  denominations  with  which  they  were  connected 


A  SITUATION 


31 


are  said  to  bo  working  most  harmoniously  together. 
TJjcy  claim  to  be  divisions  in  the  same  great  army.  In 
that  mountain  region,  at  occasional  union  services,  they 
were  saying  to  the  people,  "We  really  are  one  great 
glorious  church."  Back  comes  the  retort,  "Why  not, 
then,  sell  four  of  your  buildings,  send  four  of  your 
men  elsewhere,  and  let  us  have  one  good,  live,  flourish- 
ing, well-supported,  respectable  church?" 

Such  reasoning  is  found  not  alone  upon  the  western 
plains,  or  among  the  mountains,  but  in  all  parts  of  the 
land.  Suppose  these  denominations,  as  has  been  said, 
do  stand  for  some  particular  and  important  truth.  Can 
it  be  shown  that  it  is  essential  to  the  •well-being  of  the 
church,  or  to  the  healthy  development  of  genuine  re- 
ligious character?  We  find  about  the  same  kind  of 
prosperity  in  all  evangelical  denominations,  and  it  is 
impossible  to  determine  from  a  man's  Christian  char- 
acter whether  he  may  be  a  Congregationalist,  Baptist, 
Presbyterian  or  Episcopalian.  If  this  be  true  are  we 
justified  in  claiming  that  the  phase  of  truth  for  whicli 
any  denomination  stands,  or  the  peculiar  emphasis 
whicli  it  employs,  is  good  ground  for  the  divisions  which 
evidently  are  estranging  many  men  from  the  claims  of 
religion?  Our  course  leaves  men,  all  over  our  land, 
who  have  gone  forth  from  Christian  homes,  to  new 
fields  of  labor,  drifting  from  the  restraints  of  the  old 
home  religion.  Denominationalism  is  in  no  small  meas- 
ure responsible  for  the  way  men  drift  from  their  re- 
ligious moorings  out  into  the  spirit  of  pleasure,  business 
and  some  type  of  infidelity.  Our  denominationalism 
cuts  the  nerve  of  genuine  religion,  and  stays  the  prog- 
ress of  the  kingdom  of  God.  It  forces  the  Christian 
church  to  appear  in  a  false  light  before  the  world.  The 
Christian  community  seems  to  the  outside  world  a 
wrangling  multitude.  It  is  because  of  this  spirit  that 
the  church  is  broken  up  into  a  multitude  of  sections, 
and  each  section  becomes  by  force  of  circuni.stances  an 
unfriendly  competitor  of  -  every  other.  We  see  this 
illustrated  in  every  little  village  in  New  England,  Penn- 


32 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


sylvania,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Michigan,  Illinois,  as  well  as  in 
tile  farther  west.  Wherever  a  little  community  oi' 
2,500  or  3,000  happens  to  collect,  we  will  find  from  ten 
to  fifteen  church  organizations,  weak,  struggling,  pov- 
erty stricken,  living  out  their  precarious  existence.  Un- 
der such  conditions  they  are  so  handicapped  that  suc- 
cessful religious  work  becomes  an  imjwssibility.  East, 
west,  north  and  south  on  all  sides,  in  every  walk  men 
are  asking  whether  such  a  course  be  wise.  A  spirit  of 
unrest,  over  such  a  condition,  stalks  through  the  land. 
We  find  evidence  of  this  in  the  increasing  demand  that 
there  be  a  coming  together  of  Christendom.  Especially 
from  the  pagan  countries,  whither  our  missionaries  have 
gone,  and  have  been  endeavoring  to  promulgate  our 
differences,  comes  the  decisive  demand  for  Christian 
unity.  The  converts  of  China,  Japan,  India,  and  of 
every  mission  field  are  saying  that  they  do  not  want  our 
differences  established  among  them.  They  care  not  for 
our  denominational  schisms,  but  they  do  desire  to  have 
Ciiristianity,  and  to  have  it  in  a  single  united  church. 
What  does  the  Oriental  care  for  Plymouth  Rock,  or 
Westminster  Abbey?  Why  should  the  Occident  thrust 
John  Wesley,  the  Augsburg  Confession  or  the  Thirty 
Nine  Articles  upon  the  Orient  ?  The  converted  heathen 
care  little  for  our  quarrels  and  jealousies.  The  attempt 
to  explain  these  only  confuses  the  mind  and  restrains 
the  would-be  believer.  We  have  been  forcing  our  divi- 
sions at  home  upon  these  brethren.  The  result  has  been 
no  little  embarrasment.  Our  nussionaries  are  forced  to 
explain  how  it  is  that  while  our  religion  is  divided  up 
into  as  many  sects  as  Buddhism,  still  it  is  to  be  pre- 
ferred, as  it  is  the  only  true  religion.  Hi  mission  lands 
it  has  been  found  necessary  to  pass  over  our  home  dif- 
i'erences.  Our  efforts  in  this  have  succeeded  only  par- 
tially. In  most  of  the  great  and  important  cities,  loca- 
tions of  exceptional  strategic  advantage,  in  spite  of  our 
iiiiilual  agreements  not  to  overlap,  we  tind  two,  three 
and  even  niort;  denoiiiinaf ions  liave  crowded  in. 

For  these  and  other  reasons,  within  the  last  few  years 


A  SITUATION 


33 


there  has  been  much  talk  concerning  some  kind  of 
church  union.  There  is  an  increasing  desire  on  the  part 
of  many  to  escape  the  unfortunate  confusion  at  the 
present  existing  throughout  Christendom.  Earnest  men 
are  asking,  is  there  not  some  way  out  of  our  difficulty? 
Some  propose  to  escape  the  difficulty  by  some  kind  of  a 
make-shift.  As  we  cannot  secure  anything  like  the 
organic  union  of  the  church,  let  us  attempt  to  get  as 
near  to  it  as  we  can  and  secure  some  kind  of  a  working 
federation.  The  endeavor  is  to  arrive  at  the  point 
where  we  can  meet  and  talk  over  our  agreements  with- 
out falling  into  a  rage,  and  engaging  in  a  bitter  fight. 
This  federation  of  the  churches,  it  is  hoped,  will  become 
a  kind  of  Hague  tribunal,  something  like  a  peace  con- 
ference, without  authority,  or  the  ability  to  do  anything 
in  particular  but  talk.  The  hope  is  that  it  will  bring  a 
period  of  peace  in  the  realm  of  religion.  We  can  come 
together  in  this,  upon  what  shall  be  recognized  as 
neutral  ground,  and  compliment  each  other,  and  pos- 
sibly in  time,  arrive  at  a  measure  of  understanding.  At 
first  our  agreement  may  be  to  a  partial  disagreement. 
We  may  reach  the  time  when  upon  certain  great  show 
occasions,  we  may  agree  to  turn  out  and  march  in  mam- 
moth processions,  impressing  the  unbelieving  not  only 
with  the  greatness  of  the  church  but  with  her  unity,  as 
well.  We  will,  in  this  manner,  seek  to  lead  the  world 
to  think  that  we  are  in  reality  one.  Even  on  such  oc- 
casions we  need  to  be  handled  with  extreme  care  for 
danger  lurks  everywhere.  Under  such  conditions,  how- 
ever loudly  we  may  proclaim  our  unity  the  world  will 
not  believe  us.  Before  we  can  command  the  confidence 
of  the  unsympathetic  world  there  will  have  to  appear 
such  lelations  as  will  ju.stify  our  claims. 

One  of  the  encouraging  signs  of  the  times  is  a  grow- 
ing pressure  towards  the  organic  unity  of  the  church. 
It  would  seem  that  the  time  is  ripe  for  action.  In  the 
mission  fields  some  of  the  great  denominations  already 
hav(!  come  togetlier.  Nearly  forty  years  ago,  iti  Canada, 
the  different  kinds  of  Presbyterians  coalesced  forming 


34 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


one  splendid  organization.  There  is  at  present  in  the 
same  country  a  movement  to  combine  the  Presbyterians, 
Methodists  and  Congregationalists  into  one  church.  In 
our  country  several  attempts  have  been  made  to  secure 
the  union  between  two  denominations.  The  Presbyter- 
ians and  the  Cumberland  Presbyterians  made  an  effort 
at  union,  which  while  successful,  as  a  whole,  left  a  little 
handful  which  refusing  to  come  into  the  union  still 
styles  itself  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church.  One 
result  of  this  attempt  was  to  clear  the  atmosphere  and 
gave  to  the  spirit  of  union  a  new  impetus. 

A  study  of  the  present  conditions  offers  much  to  en- 
courage. Giant  strides  forward  have  been  taken. 
Among  the  laity  of  the  church,  and  among  the  people 
outside  the  church  the  trend  towards  organic  unity  has 
become  strong.  It  is  the  popular  thing.  As  never  be- 
fore men  applaud  the  spirit  of  fraternity.  The  disposi- 
tion to  emphasize  differences  has  steadily  diminished. 
Larger  generosity  prevails  in  all  circles.  Emphasis  in 
theology  is  placed  less  upon  minor  questions  and  more 
upon  the  few  fundamental  principles.  Philosophy  has 
a  less  prominent  place  in  religion  than  a  generation  ago. 
Even  denominational  loyalty  is  steadily  becoming 
weaker.  "We  are  changing  our  shibboleths  from  a  de- 
nominational watchword  to  something  of  a  broader 
spirit.  All  this  gives  ground  to  hope  that  the  time  is 
not  far  distant  when  the  followers  of  Christ  the  King 
may  form  one  great,  glorious  body.  When  we  see  the 
desire  of  so  large  a  company  of  churches  that  such  a 
time  may  come,  our  hope  grows  large  in  the  expectation 
that  the  day  is  not  far  away  when  the  great  body  of 
Christ's  followers  shall  be  one,  even  as  He  prayed.  We 
have  the  hope  that  the  God  of  the  church  ere  long  will 
give  answer  to  the  prayer  of  His  Infinite  Son.  In  this 
expectation  we  have  a  vision  of  the  glorious  Churcli 
just  ahead,  where  the  disciples  shall  all  be  together  with 
one  accord,  and  the  Spirit  of  the  Most  High  shall  over- 
shadow them. 


CHAPTER  II 


ADVANTAGES  OP  DENOMINATIONAIiISM 

PIE  breaking  up  of  Protestantism  into  hundreds  of 


distinct  bodies,  each  working  independently  of  all 
the  others  appears  as  a  serious  weakening  of  the  Lord's 
hosts.  That  such  divisions  should  have  been  brought 
about  by  earnest  men,  believing  devoutly  in  the  best  type 
of  Christianity,  ready  to  follow  implicitly  the  teachings 
of  the  Bible  demands  that  we  assume  at  least  that  they 
believed  that  they  were  securing  some  real  gains.  To- 
day we  are  in  a  position  to  ask  whether  the  supposed 
gains  have  been  realized.  Has  Protestant  Christianity 
actually  been  made  stronger  and  rendered  more  efficient 
through  the  means  of  these  violent  disruptions?  Can 
the  Protestant  Church  of  the  United  States  accomplish 
more  for  the  advancement  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  and 
the  glory  of  His  Son,  broken  up  into  over  one  hundred 
and  forty  different  denominations,  as  is  the  case  to-day, 
than  would  be  possible  if  all  Protestants  were  mar- 
shalled in  a  single  organization  ?  While  the  Protestants 
now  living  may  not  be  chargeable  with  the  responsibility 
of  dividing  the  church,  we  may,  by  our  course,  become 
guilty  of  continuing  the  unfortunate  situation.  The 
fathers  divided  the  church,  but  we  are  the  only  ones 
who  can  maintain  these  divisions  in  our  day.  That  wc 
may  .iustify  our  course  we  mu.st  show  some  very  decided 
advantages  due  to  the  present  disjointed  situation  in 
the  church. 

It  is  sometimes  claimed  that  where  there  exists  such 
differences  of  opinion  upon  questions  of  doctrine  and 
I)olity  as  to  render  a  real  strong  working  organic  union 
impracticable,  where  men  diff(n*  as  widely  as  they  ap- 


35 


36 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


pear  to,  if  they  were  brought  together  in  the  same  ec- 
clesiastical bodies,  where  they  would  be  led  to  discuss 
their  differences,  necessarily  there  would  arise  a  conflict 
of  opinions  so  intense  as  seriously  to  endanger  the  ex- 
istence of  the  organization.  Were  all  Protestantism 
united  in  one  body,  we  are  told  that  at  the  first  as- 
semblage of  any  considerable  number  the  seeds  of  dis- 
union would  certainly  take  root,  and  within  a  short 
time  the  church  would  divide.  As  evidence  of  this  we 
are  directed  to  the  past.  While  there  were  fewer  divi- 
sions at  the  beginning  of  Protestantism,  denominations 
multiplied,  we  are  told,  because  it  was  found  that  the 
peace  of  the  church  made  such  divisions  necessary.  If 
this  were  true  at  the  beginning,  when  there  was  such 
intensity  of  religious  life,  that  the  church  could  not 
hold  together,  may  we  not  conclude  that  the  bringing 
together  in  a  single  organization,  requiring  subscription 
to  a  single  creed,  such  as  all  could  accept,  under  such  an 
ecclesiastical  government  as  could  be  received,  under 
present  conditions,  there  would  be  not  only  friction,  but 
a  decidedly  unhappy  state?  The  only  oiitcome,  so  we 
are  told,  would  be  rapid  distrust  and  disintegration. 
It  woiild  never  do  to  deprive  these  factions  of  the  liberty 
of  faith  and  action,  which  they  have  so  long  enjoyed, 
and  bring  them  under  the  stiff  restraint  necessary,  were 
all  in  a  single  organization.  It  would  be  like  depriving 
those  who  are  free,  of  their  liberty.  Because  of  this  it 
is  not  unfrequently  claimed  that  we  have  in  fact  greater 
unity  in  our  divided  state  than  would  be  possible  under 
any  system  of  organic  unity. 

Many  things  enter  into  the  consideration  of  this 
question.  Of  course  if  all  were  filled  with  the  spirit 
of  love  and  forbearance,  which  should  abide  in  every 
Christian  heart,  it  is  admitted,  little  difficulty  would 
be  experienced.  We  must  face  the  fact,  that  as  yet  the 
church  is  not  filled  with  this  spirit.  It  is  true  with  us 
to-day,  that  the  bitterest  (luarrels  of  which  we  know, 
are  church  (pinrrcls.  Nowliere  do  we  find  men  so 
ready  to  take  offence,  or  to  content^,  so  earnestly  as  when 


ADVANTAGES  OF  DENOMNATIONALISM  37 


a  religious  question  is  involved.  It  is  at  once  concluded 
that  the  peace  of  the  church  can  be  secured  only  by  our 
present  denominational  system.  In  discussing  this  ques- 
tion we  may  say  that  we  find  actually  existing  ecclesias- 
tical organizations  where  the  greatest  differences  of 
opinion  do  exist,  yet  the  organizations  hold  together, 
have  a  vigorous  life  and  enjoy  a  large  measure  of  peace. 
In  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  there  are  differences  of 
a  most  serious  nature  pertaining  to  the  gravest  subjects, 
yet  that  body  goes  on  undisturbed.  Sometimes  there 
appears  such  dissimilarity  of  views  that  it  seems  im- 
possible that  the  organization  should  hold  together. 
hut  this  great  organization  goes  on  shoAving  scarcely  a 
riffle  upon  the  surface.  In  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  we  find  men  of  the  extreme  wing  of  the  destruc- 
tive higher  criticism,  men  who  are  little,  if  any  less  than 
rationalists,  together  with  others  who  are  as  conserva- 
tive and  stiff  in  their  theological  convictions  as  any  Cal- 
vinist.  There  are  high  churchmen,  and  low  churchmen, 
and  broad  churchmen,  holding  views  most  antagonistic, 
all  within  the  single  organization,  yet  this  great  church 
not  only  continues  to  go  on  and  do  her  work  but  she 
is  in  a  highly  prosperotis  state.  Are  Protestants  less 
truly  religious  than  Roman  Catholics?  IMust  we  admit 
that  Dissenters  are  less  Christ-like  in  spirit  than  the  ad- 
herents of  the  Episcopal  Church?  Is  it  not  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  the  members  of  the  different  disscjiting 
churches  would  be  able  to  live  together  within  one  fold, 
as  easily  as  those  holding  equally  divergent  views  ac- 
tually do  in  some  of  the  Episcopally  governed  churches? 
It  is  shown  beyond  a  ([uestion  in  the  organizations  actu- 
ally existing  to-day  that  very  great  diversity  of  opinion 
and  belief  may  exist  in  the  same  ecclesiastical  body, 
and  that  organization  not  be  seriously  hindered  in  her 
work.  If  we  observe  a  little  more  closely  we  will  dis- 
cover that  these  organizations  which  have  made  room 
within  their  bodies  for  diverse  views  seem  to  have  less 
eml)arrassinent,  and  to  live  in  greater  liaiinony  than 
many  smaliei-  and  more  exactly  classified  b(Miies.  Unity 


38 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


can  never  be  made  exact  agreement  in  every  detail. 
Any  attempt  to  secure  organic  unity  by  an  extended 
credal  statement  would  simply  increase  friction,  and 
would  doom  the  movement  to  failure.  If  one  find  in  the 
denomination  with  which  he  is  connected,  another  sub- 
scribing to  the  same  creed  holding  views  which  are  an- 
tagonistic to  the  creed,  there  arises  the  conviction  that 
things  are  not  right.  The  man  is  not  square.  He  is 
false  to  the  obligations  of  his  creed.  At  once  there 
arises  the  conviction  that  he  should  be  disciplined. 
Suppose,  as  an  illustration,  that  a  pastor  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church  should  be  found  preaching  the  rankest 
kind  of  "  Arminianism, "  there  would  be  trouble.  It 
may  be  admitted  that  the  man  is  a  Christian,  that  he 
has  a  right  to  hold,  and  preach  such  views,  but  not  as 
an  ordained  Minister  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Such 
a  course  would  be  disloyal  to  his  ordination  obligations. 
When  he  entered  the  ministry  of  this  church  he  sub- 
scribed to  its  creed,  and  obligated  himself  to  teach  its 
doctrines.  The  Presbyterian  Church  is  not  only  a 
Christian  church  but  she  holds  certain  clearly  defined 
positions  upon  various  theological  questions.  It  may 
be  true  that  these  questions  do  not  affect  materially  the 
salvation  or  the  life  of  the  individual  member,  yet  the 
church  adheres  to  these,  and  they  are  just  what  divides 
the  Presbyterian  from  all  other  churches.  If  a  man 
believe  and  teach  the  doctrines  of  the  Methodist,  the 
Baptist,  the  Lutheran,  the  Presbyterian  or  any  other 
church  it  is  his  duty  as  a  square,  honest  man  to  con- 
nect himself  with  the  church  whose  doctrines  he  be- 
lieves. If  he  do  not  do  this  he  is  disloyal  to  his  church 
vows,  and  is  out  of  harmony  with  his  denomination. 
Morally  he  is  bound  to  be  loyal  to  his  church.  If  he 
cannot  conscientiously  present  the  teachings  of  his 
church,  without  any  strained  interpretation,  let  him 
withdraw,  and  go  to  the  denomination  where  he  can  bo 
at  liome.  Because  of  the  strictness  with  which  doctrinal 
lines  are  drawn,  wJicn  wc  have  a  multitude  of  denomina- 
tions, but  little  liberty  can  be  allowed.   With  many  de- 


ADVANTAGES  OF  DENOMINATIONALISM  39 


nominations,  over  a  hundred  and  forty  among  the  Prot- 
estants of  the  United  States,  you  readily  see  theological 
and  ecclesiastical  lines  must  be  drawn  with  a  degree  of 
fineness  which  is  exceedingly  minute.  These  lines  must 
make  one  hundred  and  forty  different  kinds  of  Protes- 
tants. If  this  is  to  be  there  must  be  differences  suffi- 
ciently marked,  so  that  each  denomination  may  be  de- 
fined. It  is  necessary  to  be  able  to  tell  how  it  differs 
from  the  others.  If  this  is  not  done,  in  spite  of  every- 
thing denominations  will  gradually  grow  indistinct,  and 
there  wUl  result  confusion.  For  its  own  protection, 
therefore,  each  denomination  defines  its  positions  upon 
a  large  number  of  doctrinal  points,  and  ecclesiastical 
positions.  Loyalty  to  the  church  demands  that  these 
lines  be  maintained. 

Suppose  now,  that  the  ecclesiastical  organization  have 
a  creed  broad  enough  to  include  both  the  Calvinist  and 
the  Arminian,  or  any  man  who  sincerely  believes  in 
Jesus  as  the  Divine  Son  of  God,  and  the  only  Redeemer 
through  whom  men  can  be  saved.  It  would  be  possible 
for  men  as  brothers  to  differ  greatly  yet  thoroughly 
retain  each  other's  respect,  and  each  be  wholly  loyal  to 
tlie  church.  In  such  an  organization  the  Calvinist  and 
Arminian  would  be  no  nearer  agreed  than  under  the 
present  conditions,  yet  each  being  loyal  to  the  credal 
statement  of  the  church,  and  understanding  each  other, 
knowing  that  they  equally  sought  the  glory  of  the  same 
God,  and  were  honest  and  true  to  their  church,  they 
would  be  able  to  walk  together  in  the  closest  fellowship. 
The  creed  to  which  they  subscribed  would  entitle  each  to 
hold  his  particular  views  upon  these  subjects.  There 
could  be  no  suspicion  of  each  other.  Absolute  frankness 
could  exist.  There  would  be  no  bitterness  of  feeling. 
Their  disagreement,  while  real,  would  be  friendly.  Tlie 
position  of  each  in  the  church  would  bo  honorable. 
There  would  be  no  reason  why  each  should  not  throw 
Iho  mantle  of  charity  over  the  other  and  peace  should 
reign  in  the  church.  While  to  some  this  may  sound 
very  much  like  the  dream  of  an  impractical  visionary, 


40 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


speculator,  let  us  remember  that  already  the  dream  has 
assumed  tangible  form.  For  centuries  in  one  of  our 
churches  we  find  that  practicably  such  a  condition  has 
existed.  In  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  Calvinists 
and  Arminians  have  lived  together,  and  worked  peace- 
fully, and  are  doing  so  still.  In  the  same  organization 
are  found  other  phases  of  doctrinal  belief,  as  unlike  as 
we  find  dividing  dissenting  denominations,  and  still  a 
church,  closely  organized,  is  able,  without  embarrass- 
ment, to  do  most  effective  work.  This  is  sufficient  to 
prove  conclusively  that  great  differences  of  opinion,  and 
very  marked  divergences  in  credal  belief  may  exist  in 
the  same  church  organization,  and  not  destroy  the  effi- 
ciency of  that  organization.  As  we  make  the  organiza- 
tion narrower,  adopting  a  more  definite  creed,  including 
more  subjects,  dealing  more  in  detail  with  each  subject 
necessarily  we  force  the  organization  to  become  more 
exclusive.  As  we  become  more  exclusive  we  increase 
the  zone  of  controversy.  As  the  zone  of  controversy  is 
increased  the  controversial  spirit  is  provoked.  To  pro- 
voke the  controversial  spirit  is  to  multiply  the  dangers 
which  threaten  the  peace  of  the  church.  If  we  make 
our  credal  statements  sufficiently  exacting,  Ipcluding 
questions  in  philosophy  and  modes  of  administration, 
we  make  it  necessary  that  if  there  be  peace  there  must 
be  divisions  and  subdivisions  almost  without  number. 
The  broader  the  creed,  the  more  room  will  there  be  for 
differences  of  opinion  upon  matters  of  secondary  impor- 
tance, and  the  less  likely  is  there  to  be  friction  or  in- 
ward dissension  of  a  serious  nature.  The  past  abun- 
dantly illustrates  this.  As  ecclesiastical  bodies  have  be- 
come large,  and  were  consequently  forced  to  a  more 
liberal  interpretation  of  their  standards,  the  less  fre- 
quent have  been  internal  dis.sension.  Experience  shows 
that  the  smaller,  narrower  bodies  are  more  frequently 
disturbed  by  bitterness  of  spirit  and  disrupting  dis- 
.sensions.  The  very  narrowness  of  the  more  exacting 
interpretation  and  application  of  Scripture  pa.«;sages, 
and  the  j)rinciples  of  government  engender  feelings  of 


ADVANTAGES  OF  DEXOMINATIONALISIM  41 


hostility,  which  easily  run  into  bitter  opposition.  It 
has  been  ti*ne  in  the  past  that  the  small  denominations, 
with  extensive  inchisive  creeds,  in  which  agreement  has 
been  required  on  a  large  number  of  points  have  not 
been  the  mcst  peaceful  ecclesiastical  bodies.  Contention 
rises  on  matters  where  there  is  imperfect  agreement, 
not  on  those  questions  on  which  all  agree.  The  topics 
of  imperfect  agreement  may  be  spoken  of  as  the  border 
land,  lying  just  along  the  frontier  of  the  creed  of  every 
church.  In  the  past  it  has  been  in  this  border  land, 
on  this  frontier  where  the  ecelesia.stical  battles  have 
been  fought. 

It  would  seem  from  the  past  that  two  distinct  ideals 
have  influenced  the  church  in  the  forming  of  her  creed 
and  organization.  One  has  been  an  attempt  to  reduce 
this  border  land,  the  region  of  controversy,  by  enlarging 
the  creed,  and  including  the  region  of  contention  within 
the  creed  itself.  In  this  way  the  circumference  of  the 
circle  has  been  greatly  enlarged.  From  the  necessitj'  of 
the  ease  such  enlargement  has  increased  the  extent  of 
the  region  adjacent.  Enlarging  the  boundary  line  en- 
larges the  contact  with  the  outside  world.  Instead  of 
diminishing  the  border  land  such  a  course  materially 
increases  it.  The  more  acres  the  farmer  owns,  the  more 
land  will  lie  adjacent  to  his  and  the  more  miles  of  line 
fence  must  be  maintained  to  keep  strangers  out.  and 
his  own  in.  From  this  enlarged  creed  more  questions 
will  be  called  forth,  each  demanding  an  authoritative 
declaration.  In  the  multiplicity  of  such  declarations 
differences  of  opinion  must  inevitably  follow,  and  these 
fend  to  disagreement.  As  an  illustration,  let  us  lake 
the  ca.se  of  a  political  party.  Suppose  one  party  decides 
to  have  the  largest  po.ssible  degree  of  agreement  on  the 
part  of  its  adherents,  and  to  .secure  this,  issues  a  deliv- 
erance upon  every  possible  question  which  can  affect 
the  government.  Standing  upon  such  a  platform  the 
party  enters  upon  a  political  campaign.  Suppo.se  to 
cover  all  things  this  party  has  found  it  necessary  to  put 
five  hundred  planks  into  its  [tlatform.    With  reference 


42 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


to  each  plank  it  is  found  there  arises  a  circle  of  ques- 
tions. Suppose  there  is  an  average  of  five  questions  to 
each  circle.  As  this  party  enters  the  conflict,  it  finds 
that  there  are  twenty-five  hundred  points  touching  the 
government  upon  which  it  becomes  necessary  to  make  a 
declaration.  It  is  impossible  that  all  of  these  twenty- 
five  hundred  questions  should  be  equally  fundamental, 
or  that  the  entire  five  hundred,  even,  should  touch  the 
great  foundation  principles  of  government.  Just  look  at 
the  border  land,  the  frontier  which  such  a  party  would 
have  to  protect  from  the  attack  of  its  foes.  It  would  be 
exceedingly  difficult  to  win  votes  in  support  of  such  a 
platform.  So  many  exposed  points  where  objections 
could  be  raised  would  compel  this  organization  to  be 
always  on  the  defensive.  It  would  also  be  far  more 
difficult  to  keep  inside  the  party  line  those  who  nat- 
urally would  assist  in  fighting  the  battles.  There  would 
be  so  many  places  where  disagreement  among  the  mem- 
bers of  the  party  might  arise  that  great  skill  woiild 
be  necessary  to  prevent  the  members  of  the  party  from 
dividing  into  hostile  elements. 

Suppose  another  party  should  be  formed,  under  dif- 
ferent generalship,  and  it  should  be  determined  that  in 
the  platform  there  should  be  five,  clearly  defined,  fun- 
damental principles  of  government.  It  will  be  far  easier 
for  this  party  to  secure  harmony  within  its  own  ranks, 
there  being  so  few  things  upon  which  agreement  is 
required,  than  for  the  other.  It  would  also  be  very 
much  easier  for  this  party  to  defend  itself  from  the 
attacks  of  its  opponents,  because  there  would  be  so  few 
vulnerable  points.  The  very  simplicity  of  its  platform 
would  favorably  dispose  the  minds  of  men  not  adher- 
ents, or  decidedly  opposed  in  its  favor.  The  endorse- 
ment of  such  a  platform  would  be  easier  to  secure,  it 
could  be  more  entirely  harmonious  than  were  it  much 
larger.  The  border  land  would  be  exceedingly  small. 
The  region  of  unsettlcHl  questions  touched  by  the  plat- 
form would  be  far  less  than  with  a  larger  platform. 
The  party  with  five  hundred  planks  in  its  platform  has 


ADVANTAGES  OF  DENOMINATIONALISM  43 


a  border  land  of  twenty-five  hundred  unsolved  ques- 
tions. The  party  with  a  platform  of  five  planks,  reckon- 
ing on  the  same  basis  as  above,  would  have  a  border  land 
of  unsettled  questions  twenty-five  in  number.  The  com- 
parison of  twenty-five  hundred  questions  and  twenty- 
five  will  give  us  some  reasonable  comparison  of  the 
difficulty  of  working  out  the  larger  platform  in  a  har- 
monious manner.  Where  but  few  principles  are  pre- 
sented these  stand  out  with  greater  clearness.  Being 
few,  all  can  be  important  and  their  appeal  is  far  more 
powerful.  Where  there  are  so  many  principles  com- 
bined they  cannot  all  be  equally  important  and  the  less 
important  tend  to  obscure  the  value  of  the  more  impor- 
tant. The  party  endeavoring  to  cover  so  much  ground 
weakens  itself.  So  it  is  evident  that  the  religious  or- 
ganization which  attempts  to  include  and  carefully  de- 
fine in  her  creed  all  po.ssible  truth,  and  to  condemn  all 
kinds  of  error  will  so  enlarge  the  border  land,  so  in- 
crease her  exposed  frontier,  that  to  protect  herself  she 
must  cover  an  endless  number  of  questions,  many  of 
which  had  they  not  been  placed  in  the  creed,  and  thus 
magnified  out  of  their  importance  would  have  remained 
forever  in  obscurity.  From  the  nature  of  the  case  we 
need  not  be  surprised  that  more  numerous  and  bitter 
contentions  have  appeared  in  the  smaller  denominations, 
which  have  included  in  their  creeds  many  details,  than 
in  the  larger  organizations,  with  shorter  creeds,  dealing 
more  exclusively  with  fundamentals. 

Another  claim,  frequently  advanced  in  defence  of  de- 
nominations is  that  where  there  are  so  many  separate 
organizations  greater  fidelity  to  religious  truth  is  made 
possible.  Denominations  make  it  possible  to  place 
needed  emphasis  upon  different  aspects  of  the  Divine 
truth.  For  instance  as  there  is  such  an  organization 
as  the  Baptist  Church  it  becomes  possible  for  the  im- 
mersionist  to  be  more  loyal  to  the  teachings  of  the 
Scriptures  as  he  understands  them  than  under  other 
conditions.  This,  by  some,  is  claimed  as  an  advantage 
which  the  denomiuationalism  of  our  day  secures.  A 


44 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


similar  line  of  reasoning  is  applied  to  other  doctrines. 
While  at  first  one  may  see  force  in  this  plea  upon  closer 
examination  there  seems  something  specious  in  such  rea- 
soning. It  appears  to  assume  that  there  can  be  but  a 
single  honest  view  concerning  the  doctrine  in  question. 
This  makes  it  necessary  to  assume  that  every  doctrine 
which  has  been  given  a  place  in  a  creed  of  a  Christian 
church  has  back  of  it  a  clear,  unmistakable  Scripture 
statement,  so  that  a  man  may  say,  "I  positively  know 
that  the  Bible  teaches  this  thing."  In  experience  we 
find  that  this  is  not  the  case.  There  is  a  possible  dif- 
ference of  opinion.  Philosophy  has  often  stepped  in  to 
determine  the  interpretation.  It  is  perfectly  clear  that 
many  conditions  have  influenced  the  interpretation  of 
Biblical  truth.  It  is  well-nigh  impossible  not  to  in- 
terpret Scripture  so  as  to  harmonize  with  our  philo- 
sophical views.  Frequently  it  happens  that  it  is  not  so 
much  the  Bible  which  determines  our  doctrinal  positions 
as  our  philosophy.  Suppose  we  go  to  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago, or  to  some  other  large  city  of  our  country,  and 
select  two  clergymen,  from  all  the  country,  who  are 
recognized  by  all  as  scholarly,  intelligent,  honest,  devout 
men,  one  a  Baptist,  who  conscientiously  holds  that  the 
only  mode  of  baptism  taught  in  the  Bible  is  immersion, 
and  the  other  a  Presbyterian.  Both  are  absolutely  hon- 
est in  their  positions.  Both  are  equally  ripe  scholars. 
Both  are  prayerful,  devout,  true  Christian  men,  of  the 
highest  type.  The  Presbyterian  denies  the  position  of 
the  Baptist  brother.  These  men  are  acquaintances,  and 
mutually  admire  each  other.  You  would  be  willing  to 
trust  to  cither  the  destinies  of  your  soul.  Let  us  now 
bring  these  men  together,  furnish  them  with  all  the 
books  which  either  may  desire,  give  them  all  the  time 
that  they  may  wish,  and  ask  them  to  sit  down  together, 
as  Christian  brothers,  and  go  over  this  entire  subject, 
settling  forever  the  baptismal  controversy.  As  scholars, 
as  Christians,  let  them  determine  for  all  time  whether 
sprinkling,  pouring,  or  inniiersion  is  the  only  lawful 
mode  of  baptism,  or  whether  all  three  may  be  esteemed 


ADVANTAGES  OF  DENOMINATIONALISM  45 


(■(jually  legitimate.  How  long,  think  you,  tliese  men,  of 
such  fairness  of  spirit,  so  distinguished  for  scholarly 
ahility,  and  of  such  humble,  devout,  Christian  charac- 
ter, would  discuss  this  question  before  arriving  at  an 
agreement?  Should  such  an  agreement  finally  be 
reached  which  man  do  you  think  would  most  probably 
win?  The  very  idea  of  the  conversion  of  either  man  to 
the  opinion  of  the  other  seems  preposterous.  We  are 
unable  to  think  that  the  Presbyterian,  a  man  so  care- 
I'ully  trained,  would  be  led  to  the  Baptist  position.  It  is 
hardly  s^pposable  that  the  Baptist  brother  would  come 
out  of  the  conference  agreeing  with  the  Presbyterian. 
Such  things  seldom  happen.  But  suppose  the  Baptist 
brother  should  at  the  close  of  the  conference  openly 
admit  that  he  was  convinced  that  he  had  been  in  the 
wrong,  that  he  recognized  that  his  church  had  all 
through  her  history  been  mistaken  in  her  interpretation 
of  the  Scriptures  on  this  subject,  and  earnestly  recom- 
mend that  the  Baptist  Church  abandon  her  position  in 
holding  that  immersion  is  the  only  Biblical  mode  of 
baptism,  what  would  his  Baptist  brethren  have  to  say 
concerning  his  course?  Would  the  ministers  of  that 
church,  and  the  laymen  not  feel  something  of  indigna- 
tion, because  this  trusted  man  had  proven  false  to  their 
stand  1  Or  suppose  the  Presbyterian  Doctor  of  Divinity 
had  been  the  one  to  proclaim  his  conversion,  what  would 
his  brethren  have  to  say?  Is  it  impossible  that  his 
brethren  might  not  accuse  him  of  a  surrender?  Either 
man,  doubtless,  would  be  discredited  in  his  own  church, 
if  not  by  men  of  all  churches.  The  fact  is  that  in  these 
doctrinal  controversies  evidence  is  not  so  much  the 
thing  sought,  as  proof  that  the  seeker  is  right.  Tlic 
struggle  is  to  obtain  more  plausible  arguments  to  present 
against  those  with  whom  we  differ.  Take  another  illus- 
tration. We  take  two  men,  one  a  devout,  most  Christ- 
like man,  a  professor  in  one  of  our  Theological  Semi- 
naries, a  thorough  going  ('alviiiist.  The  otlier  e(|ually 
fjimous,  as  a  devout,  scholarly  ('hristian  iiuni.  from  an 
Arminiaii  institution.    We  put  them  together  and  ask 


46 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


that  they  clear  up  the  different  views  concerning  the 
Divine  decrees,  and  fore-ordination.  Is  it  supposable 
that  they  will  succeed  ?  It  is  not  argument,  not  evidence 
which  will  bring  men  together  on  these  points,  but 
philosophy.  Should  either  man  admit  himself  van- 
quished by  the  other,  and  change  his  position  accord- 
ingly we  would  suspect  his  sincerity.  A  man 's  standing 
as  a  devout,  consistent  Christian  is  in  no  wise  affected 
by  his  position  as  a  Calvinist  or  Arminian.  His  being  a 
Baptist  or  a  Presbyterian  does  not  change  his  Christian 
standing.  In  the  great  important  questions  of  genuine 
religion,  such  matters  are  recognized  as  only  side  issues. 
Long  since  men  have  ceased  to  associate  such  questions 
with  the  real  character  of  Christianity.  It  is  recognized 
that  two  men  starting  from  unlike  philosophical  posi- 
tions will  most  likely  differ  in  their  interpretations  of 
the  Scriptures.  May  we  not  therefore  say  that  the  ques- 
tion at  stake  is  not  primarily  one  of  Bible  teaching,  but 
of  Philosophy?  This  disagreement,  then,  is  not  really 
an  essential  part  of  a  man's  religion,  but  of  his  think- 
ing. The  question  is  not  so  much  one  of  loyalty  to  the 
Word  of  God  as  to  his  philosophical  position. 

In  the  denominationalism  of  our  day  we  have  greatly 
magnified  the  personal  element.  Because  of  this  it  is 
safe  to  say  that  denominationalism  increases  decidedly 
the  spirit  of  contention,  and  thus  becomes  a  serious  hin- 
drance to  a  fair  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures.  Take 
as  an  illustration,  the  instruction  of  the  children  of  a 
household.  "We  have  come  to  understand  by  religious 
instruction  that  kind  of  denominational  instruction 
wliich  shall  make  as  certain  as  possible  that  the  child 
shall  follow  in  the  same  denominational  connection  as 
the  parents.  At  great  pains  the  tenets  of  the  particular 
church  are  presented  in  a  manner  to  render  them  domi- 
nant in  the  mind  of  the  child.  In  doing  this  some  doc- 
trines are  enlarged  out  of  proportion  while  others  are 
minimized.  Such  a  course  distorts  all  true  views  of  the 
teachings  of  the  Bible.  By  such  em])hasis  iipon  certain 
aspects  of  truth  the  child  is  unfitted  to  render  a  fair 


ADVANTAGES  OF  DENOMINATIONALISM  47 


judgnieiit  later  in  life.  Denominationalisiu  therefore 
not  only  fails  to  develop  a  spirit  which  leads  to  a  greater 
loyalty  to  the  Scriptures,  but  actually  so  prejudices 
the  mind,  and  prejudices  the  truth,  that  it  becomes  ex- 
ceedingly diflficult  ever  to  become  a  loyal,  humble  fol- 
lower of  the  Word  of  God.  There  is  engendered  such  a 
spirit  of  stubbornness,  a  determination  to  find  evidence 
for  certain  views,  and  against  other  views,  that  it  be- 
comes extremely  diflficult  for  the  denominationalist  to 
understand  the  Bible.  The  more  intense  be  the  de- 
nominational spirit  the  greater  the  difficulty  to  interpret 
the  Bible  fairly.  The  tendency  of  denominationalism, 
in  so  far  as  it  is  successful,  is  to  create  and  strengthen 
a  prejudice  which  to  such  an  extent  incapacitates  the 
human  judgment  as  to  render  it  incapable  of  fairly 
weighing  Biblical  evidence.  It  is  immaterial  of  what 
church  we  speak,  or  of  what  doctrine,  the  spirit  of  de- 
nominationalism warps  the  mind  in  such  a  manner  that 
it  is  hopeless  to  expect  a  fair  consideration  of  any 
doctrine  involved.  It  is  beyond  a  peradventure  that 
any  Arminian  will  be  just  in  weighing  the  evidence 
which  has  convinced  the  Calvinist  or  that  any  Calvinist 
will  do  justice  to  the  argument  of  the  Arminian.  It, 
therefore,  is  evident  that  in  actual  experience  denomi- 
nationalism, instead  of  resulting  in  greater  loyalty  to 
the  Bible  truth,  positively  obscures  that  truth.  De- 
nominational prejudices  seriously  interfere  with  the 
vision  of  the  man  who  sincerely  desires  to  find  the  truth. 
If  we  might  consider  a  case  brought  into  the  civil  courts 
the  decision  of  which  turned  upon  such  a  question  as 
tlie  mode  of  administering  Baptism,  or  the  Divine  De- 
crees, or  some  type  of  church  polity,  like  the  Presby- 
terian, Episcopalian  or  the  Congregational,  the  mem- 
bers or  adherents  of  these  churches  would  be  debarred 
from  pitting  on  the  jury  which  should  render  the  de- 
cision. If  lionest,  a  man  would  be  forced  to  admit  that 
his  conviction  on  these  subjects  was  of  such  a  nature  as 
to  render  him  incapable  of  giving  an  imparl  ial  verdict. 
This  would  also  be  admitting  practically  that  his  bias, 


48 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


ou  any  of  the  doctrines  where  denoniinatious  divide,  is 
so  strong  as  to  render  him  incapable  of  giving  to  any  of 
these  doctrines  a  fair  impartial  consideration.  Such  a 
state  of  mind,  the  production  of  such  a  bias,  luis  been 
the  work  of  the  spirit  of  denominationalism.  It  narrows 
the  Christian  student,  and  makes  of  him  a  sectarian. 
Instead  of  holding  a  system  of  doctrine,  preeminently 
Christian,  it  is  Calvinistic,  Arminian,  or  falls  under 
some  other  shibboleth.  Denominations,  by  making  so 
much  of  secondary  matters,  give  to  these  doctrines  an 
importance  so  out  of  true  proportion  as  to  warp  or 
obscure  the  exact  truth.  Because  of  this  denomination- 
alism has  been  from  the  first,  and  must  continue  to  be  a 
real  menace  to  genuine  Biblical  scholarship.  The  Pres- 
byterian cannot  compare  his  peculiar  creed  and  church 
polity  with  the  creed  and  polity  of  other  churches  with- 
out instinctively  magnifying  in  some  measure  such 
things  as  seem  to  justify  the  position  of  his  own  church, 
and  in  a  corresponding  degree  belittling  the  evidence  for 
the  characteristics  of  all  other  churches.  The  tendency 
to  do  this  is  intensified  by  the  denominational  spirit,  and 
stri'ngthened  by  the  influence  of  the  historic  past.  The 
legitimate  fruit  of  denominationalism  is  sectarianism  of 
a  narrow  and  unwholesome  type.  The  emphasis  which  a 
particidar  church  gives  to  its  own  distinctive  doctrines 
comes  in  time  among  the  members  of  that  church  to  be 
tlie  important  element  of  church  life.  This  gives  the  so- 
called  doctrine  of  the  church,  that  for  wliich  the  church 
stands  an  emphasis  which  distorts  the  truth.  For  this 
reason  the  theology  of  a  i)articular  denomination  ap- 
pears deformed.  The  attention  given  to  a  study  of  the 
defense  of  the  doctrines  of  a  church,  and  the  weakness 
of  the  doctrines  of  other  churches  becomes  a  real  mis- 
representation of  the  true  doctrines  of  ihe  Bible.  Such 
a  bias  is  given  to  the  mind  of  the  devo\it  student  as  to 
I'euder  normal  religious  develoi)ment  impossible.  This 
kind  of  Bible  study  develops  a  spirit  of  antagonism,  a 
kind  of  religious  peevishness  whose  end  is  discord.  The 
correctness  of  this  reasoning  is  abuntlautly  illustrated  in 


ADVANTAGES  OF  DENOMINATIONALISM  49 


every  church.  Those  churches  which  place  greatest 
stress  upon  the  deuominational  spirit  unconsciously,  to  a 
jrreater  extent  distort  the  doctrinal  teachings  of  the 
Hible.  The  moment  the  spirit  of  defense  is  aroused 
there  comes  up  a  corresponding  spirit  of  attack.  Hos- 
tility is  engendered,  and  in  the  contention  which  follows 
without  exception  those  Biblical  truths  which  can  be 
made  to  strengthen  the  position  of  a  church  are  made 
prominent,  while  all  such  as  seem  to  favor  something 
else  are  depressed.  There  is  the  distinct  endeavor  to 
strengthen  "our  side"  of  the  question  and  at  the  same 
time  to  weaken  the  side  of  our  opponents. 

As  this  is  the  trend  of  deuominationalism,  it  is  evi- 
dent that  the  stronger  the  denominational  spirit,  the 
greater  the  loyalty  to  the  denomination,  the  more  de- 
cided is  the  tendency  to  blind  the  reason  and  load  into 
error.  Before  his  conversion  St.  Paul  was  a  Pharisee. 
We  have  no  reason  to  doubt  the  sincerity  of  the  man 
either  before  or  after  he  became  a  follower  of  Jesus. 
We  do  not  question  his  truthfulness.  From  his  own 
statement  we  learn  that  while  a  Pharisee  he  failed  ut- 
terly to  appreciate  the  arguments  which  were  advanced 
to  prove  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  indeed  the  Messiah 
for  whose  coming  he  and  his  jxiople  were  devoutly  pray- 
ing. From  what  we  know  of  the  man,  we  feel  sure  that 
he  studied  the  whole  field,  examining  all  the  arguments, 
and  searching  the  Scrii)tures.  with  great  care,  and  with 
the  result  that  he  became  the  bitterest  enemy  of  the 
followers  of  Christ,  the  most  zealous  persecutor  of  the 
church.  Later  in  life  he  showed  an  equal  zeal  as  a 
preacher  of  the  Gospel.  After  this,  he  tells  the  Cliris- 
tians  of  his  day  that  in  the  early  part  of  his  life  he 
verily  believed  that  in  persecuting  the  church  he  was 
doing  the  will  of  God.  It  is  probable  that  had  it  not 
been  for  a  Divine  and  miraculous  interposition  he  would 
have  contiiHied  unto  the  end  a  bitter  enemy  of  the 
chnreli.  Now  if  such  a  state  in  a  man  like  St.  Paul, 
in  so  large  a  measure  controlled  his  miiid,  so  that  his 
sense  of  truth  and  error,  e.vcu  of  right  and  wrong,  be- 


50 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


came  so  unreliable,  in  so  important  a  matter  as  the 
acceptance  or  rejection  of  Jesus,  as  the  Messiah,  can  we 
reasonably  expect  that  in  common  mortals  its  influence 
will  be  less?  In  St.  Paul's  ease  we  find  an  excellent 
illustration  of  how  the  sectarian  spirit  befogs  the  hu- 
man mind,  and  confirms  one  in  error.  If  such  a  thing 
be  possible  on  the  part  of  one  so  genuinely  in  earnest  in 
his  pursuit  of  religious  truth,  then  we  certainly  have 
occasion  to  be  warned.  We  need  to  study  with  great 
care  that  we  may  find  the  safest  road.  It  should  be  our 
great  purpose  to  remove  every  obstacle  in  the  way  of  a 
profounder,  clearer  knowledge  of  God's  truth.  We 
should  do  this  in  the  conviction,  that  in  the  degree  that 
the  spirit  of  controversy  disappears  the  light  of  the 
Gospel  will  find  a  more  open  entrance,  and  a  deeper, 
purer,  more  heavenly  spirit  of  devout  religious  experi- 
ence will  develop,  and  the  church  growing  less  con- 
troversial will  be  more  largely  filled  with  the  spirit  of 
Christ,  and  become  the  power  of  God  in  the  salvation 
of  the  world. 

Originally  when  a  break  was  made  in  the  church,  and 
a  new  denomination  went  off  it  was  in  the  name  of  lib- 
erty of  conscience.  It  was  this  which  led  to  the  break 
of  the  first  Protestants  with  the  Church  of  Rome.  It  has 
been  this  claim  of  liberty  of  conscience  which  has  led  to 
all  the  subsequent  divisions.  Some  one  has  felt  himself 
aggrieved,  and  if  he  had  the  influence  to  secure  a  fol- 
lowing has  proclaimed  abroad  that  his  conscience  has 
been  interfered  with,  that  he  may  worship  God  in  ac- 
cordance with  his  own  conviction  of  right  and  wrong  it 
is  necessary  for  him  to  go  out  from  tlie  mother  church 
and  establish  another,  a  church  of  his  very  own.  He 
therefore  proclaims  his  new  faith,  and  invites  all  like- 
minded  to  join  with  him.  It  is  all  in  seeking  liberty  of 
conscience.  This  is  based  upon  the  assumption  that  in 
order  to  woi'ship  the  conscience  nuxst  be  free.  This 
seems  to  be  justifiable.  When  men  are  compelled  to  do 
what  they  believe  to  be  wrong,  contrary  to  the  Word  of 
God  surely  there  should  be  some  way  by  which  they 


ADVANTAGES  OF  DENOmNATIONALIS:\r  51 


might  find  needed  relief.  The  moment  that  we  com- 
mence to  analyze  the  situation  we  grow  more  doubtful 
of  the  justice  of  the  claim.  In  considering  this  the 
situation  is  so  delicate  that  whatever  may  be  said  is 
liable  to  misinterpretation.  Still  there  is  no  more  im- 
portant subject  connected  with  the  development  of  de- 
nominationalism,  in  the  grip  of  which  the  church 
writhes  to-day,  than  this  same  liberty  of  conscience.  Let 
us  examine  some  examples  of  it,  as  it  has  appeared  in 
history.  We  will  take  for  illustration  instances  suffi- 
ciently familiar  so  that  we  may  readily  recognize  the 
spirit  which  permeated  the  movement. 

The  Puritan  Congregationalists,  because  of  religious 
persecution,  that  they  might  enjoy  the  liberty  of  con- 
.science,  went  from  England  to  Holland,  and  later  sailed 
for  the  New  World.  They  landed  on  the  bleak  gravelly 
shore  of  Massachusetts,  at  Plymouth,  and  made  their 
first  settlement.  They  suffered  severely  from  the  ex- 
posure of  the  voyage,  the  horrors  of  a  bitter  cold  Win- 
ter, and  pinching  want.  The  Indians  were  hostile,  yet 
that  they  might  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of 
their  own  conscience,  uncomplainingly  they  endured  all 
things,  until  they  had  wrested  from  the  inhospitable 
wilderness  a  home.  It  was  liberty  of  conscience  for 
which  they  suffered.  A  few  years  later  there  came  to 
Pennsylvania  another  colony  for  the  same  purpose. 
Among  these  were  men  from  Holland,  Scotland,  and 
elsewhere,  all  seeking  this  liberty  of  conscience.  They 
brought  their  churches  with  them.  The  Puritan,  the 
Quaker,  and  the  Presbyterian.  They  all  worshipped  the 
same  God,  believed  in  the  same  Bible,  and  trusted  for 
their  salvation  the  same  crucified  Savior.  The  most 
mystical  of  all,  Ihe  Quaker,  announced  his  faith  in 
Christ,  and  worshipped  without  external  forms.  The 
Puritans  interpreted  the  Scriptures  in  very  much  the 
same  manner  as  the  Presbyterians.  But  in  those  days, 
the  Puritan's  conscience,  which  had  forced  him  to  cro.ss 
the  Atlantic,  and  suffer  all  things  that  he  inight  be  re- 
ligiously free,  would  not  permit  the  Quaker,  or  even  the 


52 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


Presbyterian,  to  practice  the  teachings  of  his  religion 
in  the  Puritan's  colony.  lie  demanded  a  strict  uni- 
formity. This  could  not  have  been  for  the  sake  of  lib- 
erty of  conscience.  The  Puritan  worshipped  the  God 
revealed  in  the  Bible,  as  did  the  Presbyterians.  The 
Prayers,  the  psalmody  and  the  pulpit  teachings  differed 
very  little.  It  is  probable  that  so  far  as  the  question  of 
real  worship  is  concerned  the  Puritan,  the  Presbyterian 
and  the  Episcopalian  of  those  days,  could,  without  any 
hardship,  have  all  worshipped  in  the  same  congi'egation. 
Each  could  have  prayed  together  to  the  same  God. 
Each  with  equal  profit  could  have  listened  to  the  same 
Scriptures,  read  by  the  same  person,  from  the  same 
place.  Had  they  been  so  inclined  each  could  have  joined 
in  the  same  hymns  of  thanksgiving  and  praise.  But  no, 
these  men  stood  for  liberty  of  conscience.  What  did  it 
really  mean?  It  meant  that  in  one  congregation  Psalms 
and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs  were  used,  while  in  an- 
other Psalms  only.  It  meant  that  in  one  congregation 
the  prayer  was  extempore,  while  in  the  other  a  liturgy 
was  used,  and  the  prayer  was  read.  It  meant  that  the 
only  part  taken  in  the  service  of  one  congregation  was 
in  the  singing,  while  in  the  other  a  more  or  less  elab- 
orate responsive  service,  carefully  prepared,  approved 
by  the  church,  was  used.  There  was  a  difference  in  the 
manner  in  which  the  clergymen  were  dressed  as  they 
ofifieiated  in  the  sanctuary.  But  they  all  believed  in  the 
same  fundamental  doctrines  of  the  Scriptures,  God,  the 
Trinity,  the  birth,  life,  suffering  and  sacrificial  deatli 
of  Christ.  They  believed  alike  in  the  necessity  of  faitli 
in  Christ  as  the  Saviour  of  men,  the  same  kind  of  re- 
pentance for  sin  and  the  same  kind  of  a  holy  life.  AH 
believed  that  after  death  comes  the  judgment,  that  tlier(> 
is  a  place  of  final,  endle.ss  punishment  of  the  wiekcnl, 
and  another  place  where  the  righteous  are  eternally 
blessed.  In  all  that  p(>rtains  to  the  real  worship  of  (lod 
and  man's  rehition  to  Ilim  we  find  there  was  practical 
agreement.  Every  dillVrenee  was  of  a  nature  which 
did  nol  in  the  kiast  alTect  tlie  salvation  and  character  of 


ADVANTAGES  OP  DENOMINATIONALISM  53 


tho  man.  Not  even  was  the  spirit  of  genuine  worship 
seriously  disturbed  by  any  of  the  points  of  difference 
between  the  men  of  that  day.  As  we  review  the  situa- 
tion, one  may  well  ask  in  a  spirit  of  seriousness,  Was  it 
really  a  question  of  freedom  to  worship  God,  liberty  of 
conscience  which  divided  the  church  at  that  time?  Did 
not  the  divisions  arise  from  the  discussion  of  matters 
which  have  always  been  nonessential?  These  questions 
upon  which  the  church  of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth 
centuries  split  were  really  of  such  little  moment  that  no 
inspired  writer  considered  it  as  worth  his  time  to  make  a 
clear  deliverance  upon  them.  If  the  inspired  writers 
did  not  deem  such  questions  of  sufficient  importance  to 
speak  out  clearly  upon  tihem  may  not  the  modern 
church,  as  she  constructs  her  creed,  just  as  safely  re- 
main silent  concerning  them?  Is  it  not  possible  that, 
witliout  intending  it,  our  modern  church  leadere  have 
fallen  into  the  same  kind  of  error  as  did  the  more  an- 
cient religious  teachers,  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees? 
They  insisted  upon  the  minutest  details  in  the  observ- 
ance of  the  Law,  tithing  the  mint  and  annis  and  cum- 
min, to  the  neglect  of  the  weightier  matters.  We  fall 
into  the  error  of  demanding  a  statement  of  faith  con- 
cerning the  mint  and  annis  and  cummin  of  philosophical 
speculation  and  theological  controversy,  while  as  in  the 
ease  of  the  ancients,  the  weightier  matters  of  justice  and 
righteousness  are  lightly  passed  by.  It  is  easy  to  see 
how  the  religious  leaders  during  the  stormy  times  pre- 
ceding the  advent  of  Christ,  under  the  impetus  of  the 
militant  spirit  of  the  age  were  carried  in  their  religious 
lliinking  to  an  extreme  of  detail  in  religious  observ- 
ance. It  was  fatal  to  spiritual  life.  In  the  militant  age 
in  which  Puritanism  had  its  rise  we  can  see  how  under 
the  tremendous  stress  of  the  tintes,  certain  aspects  of 
religious  thought  were  pressed  beyond  their  bounds. 
Put  that  ag(!  has  passed.  We  have  entered  upon  an  era 
of  peace.  In  civil  life  this  spirit  so  prevails  that  con- 
ferences are  held  wilii  the  serious  purj)ose  of  inducing 
the  political  powers  of  the  world  to  abandon  war.  Re- 


54 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


formers  are  pleading  for  the  principle  of  settling  all 
disputes  amicably,  hy  an  appeal  to  some  tribunal  of 
justice.  At  such  a  time  who  can  justify  the  church, 
that  body  of  men  who  beyond  all  others  puts  forth  the 
claim  to  be  followers  of  the  meek  and  lowly  Christ,  if 
she  refuse  to  extend  the  olive  branch  of  peace  and  in- 
sists upon  prolonging  the  unseemly  conflicts  of  past 
generations,  forcing  the  church  of  to-day  to  keep  up 
the  old  system  of  offense  and  defense  that  we  may  grat- 
ify some  of  our  inherited  opinions  ?  The  time  surely  has 
come  when  the  church  should  do  some  serious  thinking, 
and  then  act  the  part,  not  of  hot-headed  partisans,  but 
of  gentle,  loving,  generous  followers  of  Jesus.  The  time 
has  arrived  when  we  should  cease  to  magnify  trifles  into 
fundamentals,  when  we  should  cease  to  elevate  questions 
of  philosophy  to  the  plain  of  religious  questions  of 
conscience. 


CHAPTER  III 


COMPLICATIONS 


IIEN  the  church  first  commenced  to  break  up  into 


'  ^  sections  there  was  a  genuine  zeal  for  what  was 
understood  to  be  the  truth.  It  was  believed  that  the 
church,  as  she  then  existed,  was  in  a  corrupt,  decadent 
state.  On  every  side  it  was  admitted  that  fundamental 
reforms  were  sorely  needed.  The  men  then  living,  being 
in  the  thick  of  the  conflict  felt  more  strongly  than  we 
can  the  need  of  vigoroiis  action.  After  the  movement 
had  started  those  in  authority  attempted  to  suppress  the 
reforms  which  had  been  undertaken.  This  met  with  re- 
sistance. Both  sides  were  aroused,  and  soon  resorted 
to  extreme  measures.  Persecutions  followed  and  soon 
an  ecclesia.stical  crash  resulted.  Those  determined  upon 
repression  became  very  insistent.  Those  bent  upon  re- 
form grew  more  restless  and  determined  to  stop  nothing 
short  of  that  which  they  had  .set  out  to  accomplish. 
Ill  feeling  increased.  Attention  was  concentrated  upon 
the  particular  thing  which  they  had  set  out  to  secure, 
which  served  to  make  more  determined  the  reformers. 
Neither  party  was  in  a  state  of  mind  or  heart  favorable 
to  a  fair  weighing  of  evidence.  Nothing  but  extremes 
could  satisfy  the  reformers,  and  the  other  party  de- 
mandcMl  extremes  at  the  other  end.  The  reformers 
would  have  a  reformation  at  whatever  cost.  The  other 
party  were  determined  to  crush  out  the  reformers  and  to 
repress  the  reformation  started  at  any  sacrifice.  It  was 
incvilable  that  a  split  in  the  church  sliould  coinc.  When 
it  canu!  the,  hiadcrs  of  the  reformation  found  themselves 
excluded  from  tlie  cluirch  with  neither  the  time  nor  the 
temper  to  weigh  consequences.    Hastily  forming  a  new 


65 


56 


THE  DIVIDED  nOUSE 


organization,  with  the  least  possible  delay  they  sought 
to  bring  this  into  working  condition.  This  was  the 
start,  and  this  method  has  prevailed  ever  since.  Some 
one  in  the  Reformed  Church  becomes  dissatisfied,  and  is 
moved  to  introduce  a  change  into  the  church.  Opposi- 
tion arises.  A  split  results.  The  split  organizes  itself 
into  a  new  denomination.  Consequences  are  seldom  if 
ever  considered.  To-day  time  enough  has  elapsed  to 
permit  such  a  course  to  bring  forth  its  legitimate  fruit. 
After  three  hundred  years  of  this  kind  of  church  de- 
velopment it  is  fair  for  us  to  look  out  over  the  ecclesi- 
astical world  and  ask  what  is  the  fruit  of  denomination- 
alism?  A  part  of  this  question  involves  the  complica- 
tions which  have  resulted  from  such  a  course.  In  the 
present  chapter  we  will  examine  some  of  these.  They 
are  the  legitimate  results  of  our  modern  denomination- 
alism. 

Some  years  ago  during  a  Summer  vacation  the  writer 
spent  several  weeks  in  one  of  the  little  villages  in  the 
upper  Lake  region.  In  walking  about  the  town  in  com- 
pany with  a  friend  we  found  several  church  buildings. 
This  was  no  surprise,  as  we  expected  to  find  them.  The 
town  had  a  trifie  over  2,000  population.  In  our  day 
such  a  community  would  not  be  considered  as  properly 
cared  for,  from  our  Protestant  point  of  view,  unless 
there  were  several  Protestant  Church  organizations. 
What  did  surprise  us  was  finding  that  the  largest,  the 
most  expensive  and  pretentious  of  all  the  church  build- 
ings of  the  town  waft  evidently  unused.  The  wooden 
steps  in  front  were  in  ruins.  The  walk  was  overgrown 
with  weeds,  which  extended  to  the  very  door.  The  win- 
dows were  boarded  up.  The  building  had  every  ap- 
l^earance  of  being  deserted,  and  left  to  rot  down.  As 
it  was  vacation,  we  had  time  to  investigate.  Going  to 
the  landlord  of  our  hotel,  a  Nova  Scotia  Scotchman,  and 
an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  we  enquired  con- 
ceriiing  the  deserted  building.  This  is  the  story  which 
he  told.  Not  many  y(>ars  before  Iho  only  church  in 
the  village  was  a  Roman  Catholic  organization,  which 


COMPLICATIONS 


57 


had  been  there  from  the  earliest  times.  It  was  organ- 
ized, first  as  an  Iiidian  cliurch.  A  new  railroad  was 
built,  and  this  village  was  made  one  of  the  terminals. 
People  began  to  move  to  town,  and  an  air  of  thrift 
characterized  the  place.  In  a  town  several  miles  dis- 
tant was  a  Congregational  Church,  whose  pastor  was 
a  young,  active,  discreet  man.  Hearing  of  the  situation 
in  this  town,  he  visited  the  place  and  was  convinced 
that  the  improvement  was  permanent,  and  that  the  town 
had  a  future.  He  was  also  convinced  that  with  the 
present  population  there  was  abundant  opportunity  for 
a  Protestant  Church.  Hiring  a  hall,  he  arranged  for 
regular  services.  A  Sunday  School  was  formed  and  the 
work  greatly  prospered.  The  young  minister  grew  in 
popularity,  and  a  Congregational  Church  was  organized. 
Help  was  secured  from  a  mission  board  and  the  at- 
tractive building,  now  falling  into  ruins,  was  erected. 
The  congregation  continued  to  grow,  and  the  future 
looked  bright.  All  the  Protestants  had  joined  under 
this  pastor,  the  church  prospered,  and  all  were  happy. 
It  was  but  a  short  time  before  this  organization  became 
self-supi)orting,  paying  the  pastor  a  good  salary  with 
ease.  A  few  years,  two  or  three,  passed,  and  the  pastor, 
greatly  beloved  by  the  people  was  urgently  called  to  a 
field  in  a  distant  part  of  the  country.  It  was  not  long 
before  another  man  was  found,  and  things  looked  hoj)e- 
ful.  The  new  pastor  did  not  prove  to  be  popular.  lie 
was  not  judicious  in  his  administration  of  the  organiza- 
tion. The  spirit  of  unrest  a])peared.  For  a  time  there 
was  a  disposition  to  make  the  most  of  the  situation, 
trusting  that  later  matters  would  adjust  tliemsclvcs. 
The  pastor  grew  more  unpopular,  and  the  restless  spirit 
continued.  In  the  congregation  was  a  group  of  Epis- 
coi)alians,  and  like  the  others,  they  became  discontented. 
(Jetting  together  they  talked  over  the  situation,  and 
decided  that  the  time  was  ripe  for  the  organization  of  a 
cinii'ch  of  their  own.  They  had  never  1)(M'ii  in  full 
.sympathy  with  the  manner  in  which  the  services  had 
been  conducted,  as  they  misscul  their  much  loved  ritual. 


58 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


Now  they  were  uncomfortable  under  the  leadership  of 
the  new  man.  To  this  time  they  had  loyally  supported 
the  new  enterprise,  but  they  determined  that  vmder  such 
a  leader  they  could  do  so  no  longer.  They  knew  that 
others,  like  themselves,  were  dissatisfied  and  there  was 
the  expectation  that  some  of  these  might  join  with  them, 
should  they  start  a  new  church  enterprise.  Word  was 
sent  to  the  Bishop,  who  visited  them,  and  the  result  was 
that  an  Episcopal  Church  was  organized.  At  once  a  lot 
was  purchased,  and  with  the  aid  of  mission  money  a  new 
building  was  erected,  though  inferior  to  the  one  already 
built.    Now  there  were  two  churches. 

Not  long  after  the  second  building  had  been  dedi- 
cated, another  group  of  men  assembled  in  one  of  the 
homes,  and  determined  that  the  time  had  come  for  them 
to  break  away  and  be  organized  into  a  church  of  their 
own.  A  Methodist  Church  was  organized,  and  with  the 
assistance  of  missionary  money,  a  third  building  was 
erected.  They  were  so  feeble  that  they  were  compelled 
to  be  one  of  a  group  of  churches  in  supporting  a  pastor, 
and  their  pastor  was  with  them  one  Sunday  in  four. 
They  were  strained  to  the  last  extent  to  maintain  their 
organization,  but  it  was  their  own  beloved  church,  in 
which  they  had  been  raised,  and  they  willingly  bore  the 
burden.  But  this  was  not  the  end.  The  pastor  con- 
tinued to  become  still  more  unpopular,  and  a  third 
group  assembled  in  one  of  the  homes  to  discuss  the  situ- 
ation. They  decided  that  they  would  not  continue  longer 
\n  such  an  uncomfortable  alliance,  and  determined  to 
withdraw  and  form  a  church  of  their  own.  Sending 
for  a  missionary  of  their  denomination  in  a  short  time  a 
Presbyterian  Church  was  organized.  The  Board  of 
Home  Missions  sent  them  a  pastor,  tlie  Board  of  Churcli 
I'jrcction  appropriated  some  money,  and  they  soon  dedi- 
cated their  new  building,  and  commenced  to  worship 
God  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  own  conscience. 
When  the  Presbyterians  went  off  but  two  families  were 
left  in  the  original  Congregational  Church.  They  were 
poor  and  unable  to  maintain  the  services  of  tJie  church. 


COMPLICATIONS 


59 


They  could  not  even  afford  to  keep  the  building  in  re- 
pair. The  pastor  was  compelled  to  leave.  The  only 
thing  which  the  old  organization  could  do  was  to  close 
up.  The  church  was  doomed  to  an  ecclesiastical  death. 
The  two  or  three  members  held  a  farewell  meeting, 
boarded  up  the  building,  and  went  home.  We  have 
this  situation :  The  first  church  building,  the  largest, 
most  pretentious  in  the  town,  before  its  first  coat  of 
paint  had  grown  old,  was  closed,  as  we  found  it  on  our 
morning  walk.  That  building  stands  in  the  midst  of  the 
town,  occupying  the  best  location  for  a  church,  a  silent 
monument  to  the  folly  of  our  present  denominational- 
ism.  This  is  not  an  incident  culled  from  the  history  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  but  occurred  within  the  last 
quarter  century.  In  that  town  to-day  there  is  not  a  / 
self-supporting  Protestant  Church.  Had  they  remained  i 
together  in  the  first  "church  organized,  long  ago  they 
would  have  become  a  strong  and  influential  organiza- 
tion, amply  able  to  care  for  every  Protestant  in  the 
town.  While  the  town  has  had  a  comfortable  growth 
since  these  churches  were  organized  they  all  remain 
poor,  and  are  crippled  in  their  work  for  the  want  of 
funds.  Instead  of  one  good  strong,  respectable  church 
in  the  town,  housed  in  a  really  fine  building  we  have 
three  little  groups  of  discouraged  Christians  struggling 
with  might  and  main  to  keep  religious  services  going  in 
three  cheap  and  scantily  furni.shed  buildings.  Their 
combined  membership  to-day  is  scarcely  larger  than 
was  that  of  the  original  church  before  the  divisions. 

Later  in  the  same  Summer  another  place  was  visited, 
some  distance  from  the  one  referred  to  above,  wliicli 
furnishes  another  illustration  of  the  strange  way  in 
which  things  come  to  pass  in  Protestantism,  iindcr  our 
denominational  system.  Many  years  ago  the  Presby: 
terians  had  a  mission  to  the  Indians  located  in  this  place. 
A  place  of  worship  was  erected.  This  was  the  center 
of  a  vigorous  religious  work.  After  a  time,  by  the  ac- 
tion of  the  government  the  Inilians  were  removed  to  a 
distant  place.    As  there  was  no  further  use  for  the 

/  J. 


60 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


building,  it  was  abandoned.  Not  many  years  later,  the 
white  people  began  to  take  up  land  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  building,  which  was  in  good  repair.  An 
itinerant  JMethodist  minister  visited  the  community,  and 
conducted  services  in  this  church.  Some  few  repairs 
were  made,  and  the  old  building  became  the  home  of  a 
little  congregation.  "Within  a  year  or  two  another 
change  took  place,  and  the  people  who  had  settled  in 
this  neighborhood  moved  on.  The  services  were  discon- 
tinued, and  the  church  was  a  second  time  abandoned. 
For  years  no  services  of  any  kind  were  held.  The  com- 
munity slowly  gained  in  population.  A  Congregational 
minister  visited  the  place,  and  finding  a  community 
with  no  religious  services,  reopened  the  old  building, 
and  commenced  church  services.  The  people  rallied 
about  him,  and  soon  started  a  movement  to  repair  the 
old  building  which  was  at  the  time  greatly  out  of  repair. 
This  was  accomplished,  and  the  Minister  appeared  in 
the  greatly  improved  building  to  conduct  services,  and 
to  his  surprise  found  another  minister,  a  Methodist, 
before  him,  who  in  the  name  of  the  presiding  Elder  laid 
claim  to  the  building,  and  insisted  upon  preaching. 
The  people  were  disappointed,  possibly  angered,  but 
the  Alethodists  held  the  building.  The  dislodged  con- 
gregation at  once  organized  themselves  into  a  Congre- 
gational Church,  and  proceeded  to  erect  a  new  building, 
near  by,  concerning  the  title  of  which  there  should  be 
no  question.  To-day  the  two  church  edifices  stand  in 
the  open  country,  only  a  few  rods  apart.  There  is  no 
town  near.  Neither  organization  has  been  able  to  secure 
a  following  sufficient  to  enable  it  to  maintain  the  wor- 
shi|)  of  God  with  any  regularity,  or  even  dignity. 

Tjet  us  take  another  instance,  a  church  in  Ohio.  The 
town  has,  possibly,  700  inhabitants.  Some  years  ago 
there  were  two  church  buildings,  one  a  Methodist,  the 
other  a  Presbyterian.  One  building  was  used  by  both 
the  Presbyterians  and  the  Cumberland  Presbyterians. 
Originally  this  building  had  belonged  to  the  Cumber- 
land Presbyterian  people,  but  for  many  years  it  had 


COMPLICATIONS 


61 


remained  unused.  After  a  conference  with  the  members 
of  the  Cumberland  Church,  the  Presbyterians  took  the 
building  and  thoroughly  repaired  it,  and  for  many 
years  maintained  regular  worship  in  it,  the  Cumberland 
Presbyterians  joining  harmoniously  with  them.  This 
continued  until  a  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Minister 
hearing  of  the  situation,  visited  the  town.  Within  a 
short  time  there  was  trouble.  To  settle  this  it  was  neces- 
sary to  appeal  to  the  civil  courts.  Years  of  litigation 
followed  which  resulted  in  giving  the  building  to  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterians.  The  years  of  wrangling  had 
developed  to  an  unusual  degree  the  denominational 
spirit,  and  at  once  the  Presbyterians  proceeded  to  erect 
a  church  building  of  their  own.  This  gave  three  church 
buildings  for  the  little  town  of  700  people.  The  case  is 
aggravated,  for  since  the  union  of  the  Presbyterian  and 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Churches  the  Presbyterians 
have  two  buildings. 

Within  ten  miles  of  where  the  writer  now  sits  is  a 
country  town  with  a  population  of  300,  in  which  there 
are  three  Protestant  Churches,  each  having  its  separate 
building.  A  few  years  ago  the  writer  was  a  member  of 
a  Committee,  sent  to  a  certain  town,  like  many  other 
towns  of  the  central  west,  at  the  time  having  a  popula- 
tion of  1,140,  with  a  large  Roman  Catholic  element,  and 
live  Protestant  Churches.  There  was  little  wealth  in  the 
place  and  there  was  not  a  single  Protestant  Church  able 
to  support  a  pastor.  The  organization  which  the  com- 
mittee was  to  look  after,  only  a  short  time  before  was 
seriously  considering  the  advisability  of  erecting  a 
hou.se  of  worship,  and  it  was  the  business  of  the  com- 
mittee to  advise  with  respect  to  such  a  movement.  The 
investigation  showed  that  the  organization  had  a  puli)it, 
a  Bible,  and  seventeen  resident  members.  They  were 
counselled  to  iinite  with  one  of  the  other  churches.  If 
one  will  look  carefully  over  the  country  he  will  11  nd  that 
the  average  country  town  has  so  many  churcii  organiza- ' 
tioMs,  and  so  many  church  buildings  that  it  is  im|)().ssible 
for  the  people  to  maintain  the  church  service  with  that 


62 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


dignity  which  the  cause  of  religion  requires.  Why  this 
waste  of  money  and  men?  We  are  told  by  the  leaders 
of  our  great  denominational  organizations  that  such 
things  do  not  now  occur,  for  a  relation  of  comity  has 
been  entered  into  by  the  various  denominational  bodies. 
Those  having  in  charge  the  purely  mission  fields,  both 
at  home  and  abroad,  have  agreed  that  they  will  not 
interfere  with  each  other  in  their  work.  This  is  hailed 
as  a  great  advance  over  the  past.  This  is  the  way  in 
which  it  works.  A  Congregationalist  missionary,  unless 
he  believes  the  town  is  large  enough  to  support  two 
churches,  will  not  attempt  to  organize  a  Congregational 
Church  if  he  find  a  Presbyterian  or  a  Methodist  Church 
already  in  the  field.  Such  an  agreement  is  referred  to 
as  unmistakable  evidence  of  the  prevailing  spirit  of 
union.  In  practical  work  even  this  agreement  is  not 
always  observed. 

In  the  central  west  there  is  a  little  city  of  about  5,000 
population.  As  in  all  cities  of  this  size,  there  is  a  flour- 
ishing Roman  Catholic  Church.  Besides  this  there  are 
four  other  churches,  of  large  membership,  well  housed, 
and  supporting  themselves  splendidly.  It  would  seem 
tliat  any  reasonable  man  could  find  a  spiritual  home  in 
one  of  these.  These  chxirches  afford  a  variety  of  theo- 
logical belief,  such  as  Calvinistic,  Arminian,  and  the 
like.  Whatever  views  a  man  might  hold,  one  would 
think  that  in  one  of  these  churches  he  would  be  able 
to  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  his  con- 
science. But  this  seems  a  mistake.  While  the  Baptists 
could  find  in  the  Church  of  Christ  a  people  agreeing 
with  them  concerning  the  mode  of  baptism,  having  prac- 
tically a  Congregational  polity,  still  for  their  peace  of 
mind,  that  they  may  feel  at  home,  they  must  have  a 
church  of  their  very  own.  With  mission  help  an  or- 
ganization has  been  effected,  and  they  go  forth  as  valiant 
warriors  of  the  Lord.  Another  little  company  thought 
there  was  sometliing  wrong  with  the  five  Protestant 
churches  now  existing,  and  that  they  might  worsliip 
God  according  to  their  conscience,  they  went  into  the 


COMPLICATIONS 


63 


city  park,  held  "revival  meetings,"  and  a  Free  Metho- 
dist Church  was  organized.  Missionary  help  was  given, 
and  a  new  building  was  erected.  Because  they  were  so 
poor  it  was  necessary  to  put  their  church  on  a  back 
street,  a  little  cheap  chapel.  The  pastor  preaches  in\ 
tliis  and  two  other  churches,  and  the  balance  of  his  liv-  l 
ing  he  secured  as  a  paper-hanger. 

Following  this  came  a  break  in  the  United  Brethren 
Chiirch.  A  little  company  of  three  or  four  families 
were  displeased  that  this  organization  should  retreat 
from  her  former  position  and  so  far  modify  her  law  as 
to  permit  her  members  to  belong  to  secret  societies.  A 
minister  not  far  away  learned  of  the  situation,  and  has- 
tened to  the  town,  conducted  a  "revival  meeting,"  in 
which  it  was  said  the  spirit  of  God  was  mightily  present, 
and  at  once  a  Radical  United  Brethren  Church  was  or- 
ganized. Part  of  the  money  came  from  outside,  and  the 
rest  was  begged  in  the  town.  This  made  seven  churches 
for  a  town  of  5,000  people.  But  that  men  might  wor- 
ship with  a  clear  conscience  more  churches  were  neces- 
sary. There  were  persons  without  any  church  home. 
These  zealous  souls,  while  worshipping  in  the  various 
churches  were  not  content.  They  longed  for  a  spiritual 
life  not  found.  So  they  hired  a  hall,  conducted  revival 
meetings,  secured  a  Superintendent,  and  went  on  to  a 
spiritual  state  attainable  in  no  organized  church.  The 
Christian  Alliance  had  come  to  give  the  greater  liberty 
to  those  spiritually  oppressed.  Every  few  months  they 
start  up  "revival  meetings"  and  by  such  means  seek  to 
keep  themselves  in  Divine  favor. 

There  are  in  this  town  factories  employing  a  few 
persons.  The  population  is  not  stationary,  and  only  a 
portion  of  this  element  attends  church.  But  few  of  the 
poorer  class  is  ever  brought  to  the  service  of  the  churcli. 
About  this  time  an  officer  of  the  Salvation  Army  visited 
the  town.  Collections  came  so  easy  and  abundant  that 
he  decided  that  it  was  a  good  location  for  his  work.  He 
hired  a  hall,  brouglit  out  his  bass  drum,  and  with  three 
or  four  comrades  commenced  to  parade  the  streets. 


64 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


Tbcy  stopped  on  the  street  corners,  sang  and  gathered  a 
crowd  and  began  to  preach.  By  almost  superhuman 
efforts  they  succeeded  in  maintaining  their  services,  and 
paying  the  rent  for  the  hall,  which  they  hired.  The 
four  original  churches  continued  to  do  their  work.  They 
were  sufficiently  strong  that  the  outside  spectacular 
demonstrations  did  not  affect  them.  Though  their  prog- 
ress was  retarded,  they  contimied  to  make  steady  gains. 

After  a  time  a  Lutheran  IMinister,  from  a  town  twenty 
miles  away  made  an  effort  to  gather  the  Germans,  and 
organize  them  into  a  Lutheran  Church.  The  Germans 
were  a  thrifty,  industrious,  intelligent  class  of  citizens, 
and  having  already  found  homes  in  the  other  churches 
they  could  see  no  good  reason  why  they  should  have  a 
church  of  their  own.  They  refused  to  change  their 
church  relations.  They  considered  it  more  to  the  glory 
of  God,  and  the  honor  of  religion  for  them  to  remain, 
and  work  with  the  churches  already  on  the  ground,  giv- 
ing added  strength  to  these,  than  to  form  themselves 
into  a  feeble,  struggling  Lutheran  Church. 

From  a  neighboring  city  a  clergyman  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  came  to  town  and  visited  the  families  of  the 
city.  At  once  he  commenced  to  conduct  services  ac- 
cording to  the  ideals  of  that  church.  In  time  fourteen 
Episcopalians  were  found,  and  that  they  might  be  spir- 
itually fed,  the  services  of  this  church  were  commenced. 
For  twelve  or  more  years  this  was  continued.  The  ex- 
penses were  practically  all  paid  from  mission  funds. 
The  mission  was  organized  into  a  church,  with  fourteen 
members.  This  organization  needed  a  home,  and  a  lot 
was  purchased,  and  the  struggle  began  to  secure  funds 
to  erect  a  house  of  worship.  The  effort  proved  for  the 
time  unsuccessful. 

The  Lutherans,  who  failed  years  ago,  could  not  give 
up  so  promising  a  po.ssibility.  Having  in  mind  their 
former  mistake,  this  time  they  did  not  consult  tlie  Ger- 
mans of  the  place,  but  announced  Lutheran  services  in 
the  City  Hall,  which  during  the  Suuuner  months  they 
could  secure,  free  from  cost.    A' minister  came  twenty 


COMPLICATIONS 


65 


miles,  and  returuecl  every  Sabbath  afternoon  and  con- 
ducted services  and  preached.  He  visited  the  German 
faiuilies,  and  appealing  to  their  national  spirit  he 
sought  to  persuade  them  to  leave  their  churches,  where 
their  fellowship  had  been  so  pleasant,  and  help  form 
a  Lutheran  Church.  For  months  this  effort  was  per- 
sisted in  but  the  Germans  were  obstinate,  and  the  ven- 
ture failed. 

Many  years  ago  an  Adventist  Church  had  been  or- 
ganized several  miles  out  in  the  country,  and  a  biiilding 
was  erected.  As  the  adherents  of  this  organization 
diminished,  it  was  decided  to  move  to  town,  and  enter 
into  competition  with  the  other  churches.  They  moved, 
and  brought  their  building  with  them. 

The  situation  at  the  present  time  is  about  as  follows: 
The  four  original  churches,  strong,  aggressive,  well  or- 
ganized and  manned  are  doing  good  work  and  making 
steady  progress.  The  other  organizations  arc  strug- 
gling along,  some  of  them  receiving  help  from  mission 
sources,  all  doing  their  best  to  win  members.  With  diffi- 
culty they  maintain  tlunr  numbers.  They  seek  to  do  this 
by  drawing  from  the  other  churches. 

We  have  given  briefly  the  ecclesiastical  history  of  this 
little  city.  It  is  typical  of  many  other  similar  cities. 
Y(!t  this  city  is  known  as  an  exception  in  not  being  over- 
churched.  Similar  things  are  going  on  to-day  all 
through  the  country.  In  any  city  west  of  the  Alleghe- 
ni(!S  the  reader  without  doubt  could  furnish  case  after 
case  similar  to  those  mentioned  above.  But  despite  all 
this  we  are  told  that  there  is  a  spirit  of  comity  among 
tli(^  churches.  It  does  not  prevent  this  unseemly  crowd- 
ing in.  It  is  true  that  under  such  conditions  our  boa.stod 
spirit  of  comity  is  at  this  moment  being  ignored.  While 
such  situations  may  not  be  so  common  in  New  England, 
and  the  older  sections  of  the  country,  still  they  exist 
there.  The  proc(!ss  which  we  have  just  described  is  going 
on  in  Ohio,  Michigan,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  tin;  states 
farther  west  and  south.  Churches  which  have  long  ex- 
isted are  often  weakened  and  iiuaueially  embarrassed  by 


66 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


this  crowding  in  process.   The  uusecmly  scramble  brings 
the  churches  to  grief,  and  discredits  the  cause  of  re- 
ligion.  The  city  which  has  been  described,  of  five  thou- 
sand population  and  nine  churches,  is  often  spoken  of 
by  Christians  as  an  exception  to  other  cities  of  its  size  ,  j 
in  having  so  few  churches.    In  the  same  state  and  not  I  i 
many  miles  distant  is  a  little  county  seat  with  3,000  |  \ 
population,  without  any  important  manufacturing  in-  j  | 
terest,  a  population  largelj^  made  up  of  retired  farmers  i  ' 
and  their  families,  which  has  sixteen  dilferent  churches.  1  j 
This  leaves  less  than  190  men  and  women  and  children  '  | 
to  each  individual  church.    Take  another  town,  which  j 
can  be  duplicated  hundreds  of  times,  with  a  population 
of  900  and  three  churches.    There  is  another  with  a  j 
population  of  300,  and  this  place  has  three  churches.  | 
But  we  need  not  continue  the  citation  of  such  unneces-  I 
sary  multiplication  of  churches.     Instances  exist  in  | 
nearly  every  tovm.    In  the  cases  mentioned  extremes  , 
have  not  been  sought,  but  such  instances  as  well  illus-  ^ 
trate  the  situation.   In  this  country  there  are  thousands  ' 
of  towns  with  a  population  less  than  twelve  hundred  j 
with  from  three  to  six  church  organizations.    Such  un-  j 
due  multiplying  of  churches  results  in  all  sorts  of  em-  ; 
barrassing  complications.     Pastors  believe  themselves  | 
forced  to  resort  to  every  conceivable  device  by  which  to  | 
build  up  diminishing  church  attendance.    In  the  Sun-  j 
day  Schools  prizes  are  offered  to  those  who  will  bring 
in  most  new  scholars.   In  some  instances  the  school  will 
be  divided  into  two  parts,  each  part  given  some  name 
like  the  "Reds"  and  the  "Blues,"  and  they  compete  ' 
in  securing  new  scholars.    For  w'eeks  the  contest  goes  | 
on.   At  last  the  end  comes,  and  one  side  wins.    A  ban- 
quet is  given  by  the  defeated  side,  banners  are  pre-  ' 
sented,  and  various  honors  are  heaped  upon  the  winners.  J 
These   contests  are  conducted  in  towns  which   are  j 
crowded  with  churches  and  Sunday  Schools,  and  the  re-  J 
suits  are  usually  unfortunate.    Here  is  a  town  of  900  I 
people,  with  three  churches  and  three  Sunday  Schools.  ■ 
At  the  close  of  such  a  contest  one  school  reported  an  I 


COMPLICATIONS 


attendance  of  six  hundred.  This  school  claims  a  mem- 
bership within  300  of  the  entire  population  of  the  town. 
Where  did  she  secure  the  hundreds  of  new  scholars? 
Ask  the  pastors  and  Superintendents  of  the  other  two 
churches  and  schools.  In  a  somewhat  larger  town,  the 
pastor  started  a  Bible  class.  He  organized  a  little  hand- 
ful of  men,  divided  the  town  into  sections,  and  assigned 
his  men  for  work.  They  went  out  to  bring  members 
for  the  class.  Names  were  given  to  them,  and  they  com- 
menced their  labors.  The  men  gave  personal  invita- 
tions, the  pastor  wrote  letters,  asking  men  to  "visit" 
and  see  his  class,  reporting  that  he  was  doing  a  great 
work.  Week  hy  week  the  city  paper  was  used  to  pro- 
claim the  marvelous  attendance  of  men  upon  this  class. 
For  months  this  was  continued  with  imdiminished  en- 
ergy, and  at  last  it  was  reported  that  the  men's  class 
numbered  over  five  hundred.  His  cliurch  at  the  time 
numbered  about  four  hundred.  Does  some  one  ask 
where  he  found  his  men?  From  those  who  attended 
church  nowhei'e?  No,  they  came  from  the  otlier  con- 
gregations. The  men  of  this  church  boomed  the  class 
and  sought  every  man  who  could  be  reached.  The  other 
.s(!hools  of  the  town  were  depleted,  only  the  loyal 
"stand-bys"  remained.  It  was  but  a  short  time  before 
this  inflated  class  commenced  to  shrink,  and  finally  reach 
a  normal  condition.  One  result  of  this  movement  was 
that  the  entire  Sunday  Scliool  population  of  the  city 
was  demoralized,  and  several  years  of  hard  work  were 
required  before  it  could  be  brought  into  a  normal 
healthy  condition.  l>nt  this  was  not  the  nio.st  deplorable 
result.  The  scheme  worked  so  well  that  another  scliool 
in  the  same  town,  having  sulTercd  somewhat  severely 
from  the  contests,  sought  some  means  of  regaining  its 
loss.  A  contest  was  entered  into  with  another  school, 
of  the  same  denomination,  in  another  city.  A  new  strug- 
gle commenced.  The  entire  S(^hool  and  church  entered 
the  lists,  and  ere  h)ng  tliis  organization  liad  regained 
the  nunil)(!rs  lost,  and  began  to  draw  from  other 
churches.    Many  chihlrcn  who  had  been  attending  some 


68 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


school  with  a  groator  or  less  degree  of  regularity  were 
gathered  in,  many  of  them  from  families  already  mem- 
bers of  other  churches.  This  struggle  raised  the  mem- 
bership of  the  school  to  something  over  three  hundred. 
During  the  time  of  the  contest  the  interest  in  this  church 
increased,  the  congregations  grew,  and  the  future 
brightened.  The  pastor  considering  the  time  opportune 
commenced  a  "revival,"  hoping  by  this  means  to 
anchor  some  of  the  strays  he  had  caught.  The  move- 
ment was  deemed  eminently  successful,  and  the  church 
and  its  pastor  received  the  congratulations  of  their 
friends.  A  few  months  later,  one  of  the  other  schools, 
smarting  under  its  losses  during  the  two  contests  jiist 
finished,  quietly  organized  itself  into  two  hostile  camps, 
the  "Reds"  and  the  "Blues,"  and  set  out  on  a  deter- 
mined campaign  of  its  own.  As  in  the  former  instance, 
the  side  winning  was  to  be  banqueted  by  the  losers  and 
to  receive  a  banner.  Everything  which  could  encourage, 
or  arouse  the  workers,  was  done.  Reports  were  made 
at  regular  times,  which  were  employed  to  spur  on  both 
sides  to  more  strenuous  efforts.  The  pastor  and  super- 
intendent made  speeches,  in  which  they  sought  to  in- 
crease the  zeal.  Persons  from  outside  were  invited  to 
be  present  at  various  times,  and  hear  the  reports  and 
address  the  "workers."  The  enthusiasm  ran  wild.  Old 
and  young,  even  in  the  primary  department  every  one 
was  fighting  in  a  frenzied  effort  to  win.  A  few  children 
who  possibly  up  to  this  time  had  failed  to  attend  any 
school  were  reached.  The  other  schools  were  again 
raided.  Every  boy  and  girl  pleaded  with  other  boys 
and  girls  of  other  schools  to  come  long  enough  to  be 
"counted."  Playmate  prosecuted  playmate,  until  there 
was  compliance.  Men  and  women  were  invited  to 
"visit"  the  school  and  at  once  were  enrolled  as  mem- 
bers, in  the  hope  that  by  this  means  some  of  them  might 
l)e  i)ersuaded  to  remain.  Again  the  local  papers  teemcMl 
witli  news  concerning  "the  great  Sunday  School  move- 
ment." The  growtli  of  the  school  was  phenomenal. 
J3ut  we  must  not  go  on.   There  is  really  no  cud  to  this 


i  COMPLICATIONS 


69 


kind  of  work.  The  instances  referred  to  are  not  ideal, 
but  descriptions  of  what  actually  took  place  in  a  single 
city,  and  the  writer  had  first-hand  knowledge  of  them. 
We  could  indefinitely  multiply  illustrations.  From  what 
has  been  given  we  see  the  nature  of  the  work.  We  are 
told  that  there  is  a  spirit  of  comity  among  the  churches. 
The  churches  joined  in  "Memorial  Day  Services," 
"Union  Thanksgiving  Services,"  and  pastors  exchange 
pulpits.  Churches  unite  in  special  services.  It  has 
come  to  be  customary  to  speak  of  the  unity  and  the  won- 
derful harmony  which  prevails  among  our  churches  to- 
day. There  is  such  a  spirit  of  concord  among  the  de- 
nominations. "What  more  could  we  have  were  we  a 
single  denomination?"  A  wonderful  change  has  como 
over  the  different  denominations.  No  longer  do  we  de- 
nounce each  other  from  the  pulpit,  even  in  smooth  ec- 
clesiastical terms,  but  as  never  before  set  ourselves  at 
work  deliberately  plotting  how  we  may  take  away  from 
the  other  denominations  and  build  up  our  own.  Our 
growth  may  weaken  our  competitors,  and  embarrass  our 
rivals,  but  our  church  must  grow,  and  to  do  this  wo 
must  get  the  people.  We  will  go  at  this  devoutly,  con- 
scientiously, prayerfully,  but  we  must  have  the  people, 
even  if  they  are  content  in  other  churches. 

Enough  has  been  said  to  indicate  in  some  degree  the 
nature  of  the  spirit  of  denominationalism  which  in 
spite  of  our  boa.sted  "comity"  pervades  our  church 
work.  With  all  our  spirit  of  comity,  with  all  our 
brotherly  love,  with  all  our  fellowship  and  co-operation, 
we  find  among  our  greatest  embarrassments  in  Chris-' 
tian  work,  not  .skepticism,  immorality,  heathenism,  un- 
belief, worldliiie.ss,  but  the  coini)lications  which  grow  out 
of  our  unfortuiuite  ecclcsiaslical  divisions.  The  liost  of 
the  Lord  has  been  divided  against  itself,  and  sad,  sad  is 
the  consequences. 


CHAPTER  IV 


CONFLICTS 

IN  addition  to  the  complications  which  are  constantly 
*  arising  because  of  denominationalism,  in  which  there 
is  no  direct  purpose  to  embarrass  other  churches,  tliere 
is  another  class  of  interferences  of  a  very  different  na- 
ture. It  is  a  sad  truth  that  a  cluirch  of  one  denomina- 
tion will  deliberately  plan  a  battle  royal  with  a  church 
of  another  and  competing  denomination.  The  uncon- 
cealed purpose  of  gaining  an  advantage  is  too  evident 
to  be  misunderstood.  Not  unfrequently  this  occurs  un- 
der conditions  which  make  it  clear  that  for  one  church 
to  win  will  greatly  embarrass  the  defeated  organization, 
if  not  completely  blot  it  out  of  existence.  In  one  of  the 
New  England  States  some  years  ago  there  was  a  wealthy 
farming  community,  respectable,  and  church-going.  In 
the  center  of  the  township  were  a  store,  post  office,  and 
four  or  five  dwellings.  Many  years  before  the  people 
liad  organized  a  Congregational  Church,  erected  a  good 
typical  building  for  the  times,  purchased  a  parsonage, 
and  engaged  a  minister.  As  there  was  but  a  single  or- 
ganization they  were  able  to  give  their  pastor  a  good 
"comfortable  support.  Years  passed,  and  ministers  came 
and  went.  The  organization  became  strong  and  was 
a  blessing  to  the  community.  Nearly  all  the  families 
within  reach  became  connected  with  this  organization. 
The  church  was  considered  highly  prosperous.  A  min- 
ister, who  had  done  good  work,  was  called  to  another 
fi(!ld,  and  moved  away  in  the  late  Summer.  Some 
months  i)assed,  until  in  tlie  early  Winter,  before  a  pas- 
tor had  been  secured.  Divisions,  in  the  organization,  had 
never  appeared,  and  few  families  moved  away.  There 

70 


CONFLICTS 


71 


had  been  a  recent  change  of  two  farms,  where  loyal 
(Joiigregationalists  moved  away  and  two  ardent  Metho- 
dists took  their  places.  These  attended  the  church,  like 
other  families,  but  as  Winter  approached,  and  they  had 
no  pastor,  these  two  men  saw  their  opportunity.  Going 
to  a  neighboring  town,  they  talked  over  the  situation 
with  the  pastor  of  the  Methodist  Church.  He  communi- 
cated with  the  official  who  at  the  time  was  called  the 
"Presiding  Elder,"  who  took  the  matter  under  advise- 
ment. A  week  or  two  later  a  noted  evangelist  of  the 
Methodist  Church  visited  in  one  of  these  families.  There 
was  no  preacher  at  the  church  for  the  day,  and  as  this 
famous  gentleman  was  to  remain  over  the  Sabbath,  ar- 
rangements were  made  for  him  to  supply  the  pulpit. 
The  people  were  pleased  with  his  services,  and  here  the 
matter  woukl  have  ended.  The  two  men,  by  whose  in- 
vitation tlie  evangelist  had  come,  had  further  designs. 
One  proposed  that  this  man  who  "happened  to  be  rest- 
ing from  Ids  labors  for  a  couple  of  weeks,"  and  so  was 
free,  should  be  engaged  to  conduct  some  special  meet- 
ings. Some  of  the  chui'ch  did  not  care  for  the  kind 
of  "revival  meetings"  proposed,  but  these  two  families 
were  so  zealous  that  finally  it  was  arranged.  The  "re- 
vivalist" should  remain  two  weeks,  preaching  evorj'' 
night.  He  remained  not  only  two  weeks,  but  six.  Being 
a  man  of  popular  gifts,  he  won  many  of  the  people  as 
friends.  At  the  end  of  the  six  weeks,  as  he  had  no  oth(;r 
engagements,  it  was  proposed  by  one  of  these  men  that 
he  be  invited  to  remain  until  the  Spring  meeting  ol" 
(/'onferenee,  when  he  would  receive  an  appoinlinent  i'oi- 
the  coming  year.  To  gratify  these  families,  and  as  there 
was  no  Minister  engaged,  lie  wa.s  engaged  as  a  supply 
for  four  months.  Spring  came,  the  Conference  met,  this 
"evangelist,"  with  the  two  Methodist  men,  attended, 
and  he  was  assigned  to  this  field.  On  his  return  there 
was  opposition,  and  the  discontent  became  so  marked 
that,  had  it  Jiot  been  for-  bis  j'.idicious  management, 
there  would  have  Ix'cn  an  outbreak,  but  ai'lcr  two  or 
three  yeai's  things  qui(!ted  down.    This  slaid  old  Con- 


72 


THE  DIVIDED  ROFSE 


gre^ational  church  wa<;  now  enrolled  as  a  !^^ethodist 
Church,  and  pastors  were  regularly  assigned  to  the 
place.  The  old  Congi-egational  community  had  been 
captured.  It  was  the  conviction  of  the  outside  non- 
churchgoers  that  there  had  been  a  deliberate  plot,  and 
that  those  engaged  in  it  accomplished  just  what  thej' 
sought.  The  Congregationalists  had  been  outgeneraled. 
That,  we  are  told,  was  over  forty  years  ago.  when  there 
was  a  more  bitter  competition  than  in  these  later  and 
more  Christian  times.  Since  then  there  has  been  devel- 
oped the  .spirit  of  comity  and  brotherly  love.  To-day 
such  a  thing  could  not  happen.  We  are  told  that  the 
spirit  of  co-operation  has  removed  the  old-time  antagon- 
i.sras.  Then  it  is  .suggested  that  even  at  that  remote 
time  such  occurrences  must  have  been  rare.  While  they 
may  have  been  rare,  .such  things  did  actually  occur.  No 
railing  accusation  need  be  brought  against  the  Metho- 
dist Church  for  what  took  place,  for  had  the  oppor- 
tunity offered  other  denominations  would,  doubtless, 
have  pursued  a  very  similar  course. 

There  is  a  little  country  village  where  the  writer  fre- 
quently visits,  which  in  1910  had  a  total  population  of 
314.  Three  Protestant  churches  are  trj-ing  to  give  the 
people  of  this  hamlet  the  Gospel.  A  couple  of  years 
ago  one  of  the  churches  secured  a  pa.stor  who  had  the 
reputation  of  being  a  pu.shing,  energetic  man,  and  to  a 
marked  degree  popular  among  the  people.  To  this  time 
the  church  which  secured  him  had  been  the  weakest  in 
the  community.  Shortly  after  he  commenced  his  labors 
the  members  of  one  of  the  other  churches  noticed  that 
some  of  their  members  who  formerly  were  constant  in 
attendance  were  now  rarely  present.  The  evening  serv- 
ice was  especially  small.  A  quiet  investigation  was  in- 
stituted and  it  was  discovered  that  the  missing  members 
were  in  the  congregation  of  the  new  pastor.  To  meet 
the  emergency,  counter  attractions  were  attempted,  but 
the  falling  off  continued.  The  situation  began  to  grow 
embarra.ssing.  It  became  evident  that  if  they  would 
save  the  church  something  must  be  done,  and  there  was 


CONFLICTS 


no  time  for  hositation.  The  pastor,  a  rao5?t  excellent 
godly  man,  who  had  served  the  church  for  some  years 
with  perfect  satisfaction  to  all,  and  great  profit  to  the 
church,  found  himself  in  an  embarrassing  position.  His 
church  was  being  depleted.  The  faithful  ones  were 
gi'owing  restless.  The  situation  threatened  to  become 
desperate.  Only  one  way  seemed  to  promise  relief,  so, 
greatly  to  the  regret  of  all,  the  pastor  decided  to  resign. 
A  careful  search  followed  until  a  man  was  found  who 
had  the  reputation  of  drawing  largo  congregations.  Fur- 
thermore he  was  a  successful  organizer.  He  was  called, 
and  to  secure  him  a  substantial  increase  was  made  to 
his  salary.  The  new  man  appeared.  He  proved  to  be 
a  preacher  of  unusual  power,  and  very  soon  his  congre- 
gations commenced  to  grow.  Being  the  newest  man  in 
tlie  field,  he  had  an  advantage  over  his  competitors.  The 
floating  element  began  to  attend  his  church.  lie  com- 
menced his  schemes  of  organization,  and  ere  long  he  had 
gained  back  those  whom  his  church  had  lost,  and  had 
them  all  at  work.  This  not  only  reclaimed  his  own,  but 
brought  many  others.  The  growth  of  his  church  was 
rapid,  and  became  the  subject  of  common  conversation. 
He  drew  from  both  the  other  congregations. 

Up  to  this  time  the  third  church  had  remained  con- 
tent to  do  her  legitimate  work.    She  lost  largely  in  at- 
j    tendance.    First  members  of  the  congregation  went  to 
I    one  church,  then  to  the  other.    Her  regular  congrega- 
',.    tions  were  becoming  smaller  continually.    The  financial 
]    situation  grew  threatening.    They  also  must  make  some 
move  to  reclaim  last  ground.    Conf(!rence  met,  and  a 
delegation  from  the  congregation  was  sent  to  present 
the  situation.    They  had  no  fault  to  find  with  their 
pastor,  but  the  situation  demaii<led  a  change.  They 
i    must  have  a  man  able  to  stop  this  exodus  and  to  turn 
J    the  tide  towards  them.    This  was  the  only  thing  which 
i    could  restore  their  financial  etpiilibriuni.    Tli(\v  mu.st 
I    win  back  those  lost  and  gain  others.    They  dciiiandcd 
H    a  man  who  not  only  could  li.()lil  his  own,  l)ut  draw  from 
I    the  other  congregations.    The  ol1i(rials  of  the  conference, 


74 


THE  DIVIDED  IIOTTSE 


familiar  with  the  present-day  methods  of  church  devel- 
opment, grasped  the  situation  at  once,  and  selecting  a 
man  such  as  was  desired  they  appointed  him  to  the  field. 
For  the  first  three  months  after  he  took  charge  of  his 
work  he  wrought  havoc  in  the  community,  and  de- 
moralized the  congregations  of  the  other  churches.  A 
great  boom  appeared  on  the  point  of  visiting  this  con- 
gregation. The  other  pastors  and  their  officials  were 
desperate.  The  man  who  had  been  longest  in  town  rose  v 
to  the  situation,  and  entered  upon  a  line  of  skillful  ad- 
vertising. The  most  startling  themes  for  sermons  were 
selected,  and  popular  curiosity  was  appealed  to.  It  was 
a  success  and  the  crowd  began  to  move  back  to  his 
church.  It  looked  as  though  he  would  win  not  alone 
what  he  had  lost,  but  much  more.  His  competitors  were 
aroused,  and  his  supremacy  was  not  to  remain  long 
undisputed.  Minister  No.  2  was  by  far  the  ablest  man 
of  the  three.  He  quietly  entered  his  study,  and  went  to 
work  upon  a  series  of  sermons  upon  popular  topics, 
throwing  his  whole  power  into  them.  They  were  a  suc- 
cess. He  won  back  his  congregation,  and  many  from 
the  other  churches  became  regular  attendants  at  his 
services.  "While  he  was  preaching  these  sermons  the 
house  was  packed,  and  they  were  the  talk  of  the  town. 
By  this  time  minister  No.  3  was  aroused  and,  becoming 
conscious  of  the  necessity  for  heroic  action,  commenced 
on  a  new  tack  to  win  the  crowd,  and  for  a  time  it  looked 
as  though  it  would  succeed.  Here  a  new  and  unfor- 
seen  element  was  thrown  into  the  conflict.  Pastor  No. 
2,  recognizing  the  difficulties  before  him,  brought  to 
town  an  evangelist,  with  two  helpers.  Tliis  turned  the 
crowd  his  way,  a  number  of  wavering  persons  were 
brought  to  a  decision,  and  at  once  connected  themselves 
with  this  church.  Tliis  gave  him  such  an  advantage 
tliat  to  the  present  time  he  is  holding  it. 

This  is  not  a  situation  of  thirty  years  ago.  It  is  a 
tragedy  at  the  ]U'osejit  time  in  process  in  hundreds  of 
III  tie  towns  all  tlirougli  the  middle  west.  It  is  at  tliis 
hour  ])rogressing  in  one  of  our  older  communities,  and 


CONFLICTS 


75 


till!  final  issue  is  as  yet  uncertain.  No  man  can  tell  what 
till'  outcome  of  such  methods  will  be.  Externally  there 
is  comity,  and  apparently  a  most  cordial  relation.  The 
l)astors  are  friendly,  visit  back  and  forth,  and  inter- 
change pulpits.  The  members  of  these  churches  speak 
with  pride  of  the  spirit  of  brotherhood  existing  in  the 
community.  No  pastor  makes  any  attack  upon  the 
methods  or  teachings  of  the  others.  Outwardly  there  is\ 
no  show  of  fight,  but  inwardly  there  is  war  to  the  death.  I 
For  any  one  of  these  three  churches  to  grow  means  that ' 
the  others  must  lose.  There  is  no  other  possible  course 
in  such  a  community.  Two  men  were  sent  to  that  town 
by  their  conferences  in  the  hope  that  they  would  build 
up  their  particular  church,  and  thus  weaken  one  or 
both  of  the  others.  The  other  man  was  invited  to  his 
church  because  he  was  believed  able  to  draw  members 
from  the  other  congregations.  In  a  community  of  31-1, 
including  men,  women  and  children,  with  three  congre- 
gations, it  is  evident  that  the  only  way  for  any  one  of 
the  three  to  increase  in  strength  is  to  take  from  one  or 
both  the  others. 

Take  another  instance.  It  is  a  church  which  exists, 
and  all  that  will  be  said  concerning  it  occurred  within 
the  last  seven  years.  It  is  a  community  with  a  single 
church.  In  the  little  village  arc  two  or  three  stores, 
a  grain  elevator,  a  railroad  station,  and  a  small  manu- 
facturing enterprise,  which  for  a  few  months  of  the  year 
em])loys  three  or  four  men.  There  may  be  a  dozen 
dwellings  in  town.  For  twenty  or  more  years  there  had 
l)een  but  one  church  in  the  village,  which  accommodated 
the  surrounding  country  as  well.  A  comfortable  and 
.suitable  house  of  worship  has  been  erected,  and  is  free 
from  debt.  With  varying  success  this  organization  has 
carried  on  the  work.  "While  it  has  on  several  occasions 
been  attempted,  until  the  present  no  other  denomination 
has  been  al)le  to  secure  a  place  in  town.  Two  miles  dis- 
tant is  another  village  with  three  Protestant  churches. 
The  families  of  this  vicinity  were  not  all  oi'iginally  of 
the  same  denomination  as  tfic  church.   A  few  years  ago 


76 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


there  was  trouble  with  the  pastor.  He  went  away  and 
another  man  was  secured.  He  remained  a  little  over  a 
year,  and  because  of  some  differences  he  went  away. 
The  church  beingr  feeble  could  not  command  a  strong 
man  for  the  pulpit,  and  it  required  time  to  find  one  who 
was  acceptable.  It  happened  that  one  of  the  officers 
had  been  trained  in  another  denomination.  The  first 
tlie  church  knew  this  good  brother  had  introduced  a 
man  connected  with  his  old  church,  who  lived  a  few 
miles  distant.  This  man  agreed  to  preach  for  less  than 
half  the  salary  which  they  had  been  paying.  After  some 
delay  the  man  decided  to  come,  and  arrangements,  at 
his  suggestion,  were  started  to  transfer  the  church  to 
another  denomination.  The  denomination  to  which  the 
preacher  belonged  would  take  the  organization  with  its 
building.  Now  it  so  happened  that  the  Board  of  Church 
Erection  of  the  denomination  with  which  the  congre- 
gation had  always  been  connected  held  a  mortgage  on 
the  building  for  several  hundred  dollars.  If  the  con- 
gregation went  to  another  denomination  this  money, 
according  to  terms  on  which  the  money  was  given,  must 
be  paid.  This  fact,  and  this  alone,  saved  the  splitting 
of  this  little  chiirch.  There  were  some  who  would  have 
remained  faithful  to  the  old  organization.  Now  in  this 
instance  one  denomination  did  not  attack  the  other  in 
open  warfare,  but  a  cunning  move  was  made  to  secure 
an  organization,  and  transfer  it  from  its  own  denomi- 
nation to  another.  In  all  these  cases  we  find  what  has 
been  termed,  it  would  seem  with  a  cruel  irony,  "friendly 
competition."  All  these  things  were  done  in  the  most 
friendly  spirit,  and  "for  the  honor  of  the  Gospel"  and 
"the  glory  of  God."  Let  us  also  boar  in  mind  that  in 
1914  these  things  were  taking  place. 

Occurrences  similar  to  the  instances  which  have  been 
given  are  so  common  that  the  mere  relation  of  the  cir- 
ctnnstanees  seems  trite  and  commonplace.  Any  clergy- 
man who  has  had  several  years'  experience  caii  dupli- 
cate each  instance  several  times.  We  find  cases  of  this 
kind  in  New  England,  where  one  would  suppose  a  more 


CONFLICTS 


77 


settled  situation  would  be  found,  in  the  middle  west, 
in  the  mountain  States,  and  on  the  Pacific  coast.  The 
men  who  are  involved  in  these  struggles  are  more  de- 
serving of  pity  than  blame.  The  denominations  have 
been  struggling  for  the  right  to  exist  in  these  communi- 
ties. The  struggle  has  not  been  a  characteristic  of  any 
one  denomination.  It  belongs  to  the  system.  It  is  in- 
evitable that  there  should  be  a  spirit  of  loyalty  to  one's 
church.  The  man  in  charge  of  the  extension  of  a  de- 
nomination must  feel  an  obligation  to  his  church  to  be 
alert  and  grasp  every  opportunity,  that  he  may  enter 
new  openings.  If  a  new  community  starts,  at  once  there 
appears  an  official  of  some  church,  a  Sunday  School  is 
organized,  a  preaching  station  is  opened,  and  the  field 
is  supposed  to  be  jjre-empted.  It  may  be  possible  that 
because  of  the  lack  of  funds  no  more  can  be  done  than 
to  hold  the  field.  This  even  is  not  sure,  for  if  the  field 
be  one  of  promise  it  will  not  be  long  before  the  officials 
of  another  organization  will  ajipear  and  commence  foun- 
dation work.  As  the  community  grows,  other  denomina- 
tions are  sure  to  enter,  and  for  years  there  will  be  a 
cramped,  financially  embarrassed  effort  on  the  part  of 
half  a  dozen  organizations  to  do  what  one  could  do  far 
better.  It  is  not  unfrequeutly  the  case  that  after  years 
of  struggle,  and  the  expending  of  no  insignificant  sums 
of  money,  one  or  more  of  the  organizations  is  forced  to 
give  up  the  field  and  withdraw.  The  conflict  has  been 
too  severe,  and  they  have  been  worsted.  Such  struggles 
have  not  been  confined  to  the  outskirts  of  cities  and 
large  villages.  We  do  not  find  such  conflicts  alone  upon 
our  frontiers,  but  in  the  old  and  established  communi- 
ties as  well.  We  see  the  life  of  many  an  organization 
strangled,  and  the  possibility  of  doing  successful  work 
doomed  forever,  by  the  excessive  competition  thrust 
upon  it.  To  illustrate,  there  is  a  county  seat,  with  a 
population  made  up  largely  of  retired  farmers.  Tlic 
denoiuinations  have  crowded  into  this  i)la('e  because  it 
has  been  considered  as  a  good  center.  Tliis  has  con- 
tinued, until  to-day  it  has  so  many  churches  that  if  the 


78 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


population  were  divided  equally  amoug  them  all  there 
would  he  just  190  persons,  men,  women  and  children, 
for  each  individual  organization.  For  years  there  has 
been  a  standstill  in  the  population.  If  any  one  of  these 
churches  make  any  real  advance  some  other  church 
must  lose.  Such  small  congregations  make  it  necessary 
that  the  income  must  be  small.  The  pastors  must  re- 
ceive small  salaries.  To  meet  the  financial  necessities 
the  congregations  are  always  under  embarrassment. 
The  ministers  are  pinched.  The  buildings  get  out  of  re- 
pair, the  janitor  work  is  poorly  performed,  and  the 
buildings  are  not  clean  nor  attractive.  It  is  not  strange 
that  the  young  men  of  the  community  are  not  attracted 
to  such  places.  They  visit  the  various  lodges  and  find 
these  halls  well  furnished,  clean  and  comfortable.  They 
hear  no  pleas  there  for  money.  The  lodge  is  not  con- 
stantly studying  new  schemes  to  raise  money,  to  pay 
rout,  or  for  light  and  heat.  The  contrast  is  painful. 
The  church  with  fairs,  sales,  concerts,  lectures,  chicken 
dinners,  and  similar  devices  appears  before  the  com- 
munity like  a  pauper.  The  building  grows  dilapidated, 
tlic  carpets  are  worn,  the  windows  arc  dingy,  the  minis- 
ter's salary  in  arrears,  and  it  is  hardly  expected  that  it 
will  all  ever  be  paid.  All  this  serves  to  give  to  the 
young  man  the  impression  that  the  church,  with  the  re- 
ligion which  it  prolfers,  is  an  old-time,  out-of-date  or- 
ganization, and  is  really  in  its  death  throes. 

Now  what  is  in  a  large  measure  responsible  for  this 
condition?  There  can  be  but  one  answer,  denomina- 
tionalism.  It  is  this  crowding  in  of  organizations,  the 
over-churching  of  towns,  the  unholy  contest  for  the  life 
of  a  church  organization,  which  loosens  the  grip  of  re- 
ligion upon  many  a  young  man  as  he  goes  out  into  the 
world.  The  brunt  of  the  battle  is  not  aimed  at  saving 
lost  souls,  it  is  a  fight  for  men  and  money  that  the  or- 
ganization may  exist.  This  kind  of  competition  is 
so  keen  as  to  cut  to  the  quick.  In  the  growing  sections 
of  the  country  we  sec  this  conflict  with  its  repulsive 
features.    In  the  older  sections  are  silent  but  sad  re- 


CONFLICTS 


79 


minders  of  battles  fought.  The  monuments  of  the  sin 
of  denorainationalism,  in  the  form  of  church  edifices, 
falling  to  decay,  rear  their  heads  on  all  sides.  It  is 
doubtful  whether  there  be  a  town,  of  any  size,  in  all  our 
land  where  the  denominational  fight  is  not  so  severe  as 
to  make  it  necessary  to  resort  to  extreme  measures  to 
carry  on  the  work.  Suppose  one  of  the  congregations 
in  a  town  decide  to  erect  a  new  building?  The  rule  is 
that  the  town,  not  merely  the  congregation,  will  be  can- 
vassed. Business  men  connected  with  other  churches, 
who  are  already  burdened,  are  forced  to  contribute  to 
the  new  enterprise,  and  thus  to  assist  in  strengthening 
an  organization  which  in  so  far  as  it  succeeds  weakens 
their  own  church.  The  merchant  is  asked  for  a  contri- 
bution on  the  ground  that  "our  people  trade  with  you." 
The  doctor,  lawyer,  dentist,  all  classes  of  men,  are  ap- 
proached and  told  that  "you  receive  patronage  from 
our  people,  and  you  ought  to  aid  us  in  paying  for  our 
church."  The  man  may  have  no  especial  interest  in  the 
church  in  question,  but  as  a  matter  of  business  he  is 
iriadc  to  feel  that  it  will  be  to  his  advantage  to  con- 
tribute generously.  Church  after  church  makes  the 
j'ounds  making  their  demands,  severely  taxing  the  busi- 
ness of  a  community.  If  a  man  do  not  contribute  to 
these  competing  organizations  he  may  have  it  intimated 
to  him  that  a  given  denomination  will  carry  its  business 
elsewhere.  This  is  an  implied  boycott.  This  is  little  less 
tlian  a  most  mischievous  kind  of  blackmail.  There  is  no 
country  in  all  the  world  so  severely  taxed  to  support  re- 
ligion as  the  Protestant  Churches  of  America.  A  large 
part  of  our  heavy  tax  serves  to  increase  our  embarrass- 
ment. I 
Let  us  take  an  illustration.  The  citizens  of  a  com- 
munity are  poor,  and  it  is  not  easy  to  maintain  an  or- 
ganization. By  great  effort  they  support  their  pastor, 
meeting  the  necessary  running  expenses  of  the  congre- 
gation. After  a  few  years,  the  debts  are  being  paid  off, 
and  there  is  a  piuspcitt  of  bettor  times.  Scarcely  have 
tiiey  felt  the  relief  when  a  man  of  another  denomiua- 


80 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


tion  enters  the  town,  finds  half  a  dozen,  possibly  a  few 
more,  who  have  belonged  to  his  own  denomination, 
among  them  one  or  two  families  of  prominence.  They 
"must  be  served."  He  secures  a  place  and  appoints  a 
service  and  sends  for  a  preacher.  Once  in  two  weeks 
he  continues  to  preach.  In  the  other  church  trouble 
commences.  It  is  possible  that  the  pastor  has  not  always 
been  perfectly  satisfactory  to  all  the  members.  A  few 
of  these  drift  into  the  new  organization,  and  soon  be- 
come members.  The  new  church  must  have  a  place  of 
worship  and  application  is  made  to  a  mission  Board  for 
assistance.  The  heathen,  who  are  in  darkness,  must 
wait,  until  the  great  denomination  can  turn  aside  and 
build  a  house  for  their  brethren,  here  in  the  home  land, 
so  that  they  may  not  stray  away  into  other  folds.  Every 
man  in  the  town  is  canvassed,  and  finally  a  second  house 
of  worsliip  is  completed  in  a  community  where  there  are 
not  people  enough  to  fill  the  first.  Every  one  feels  that 
it  is  a  mistake,  but  it  is  the  way  in  which  things  are 
done,  so  remains  quiet.  The  business  men  of  the  com- 
munity know  that  the  building  is  not  needed,  that  the 
sjiirit  pushing  it  is  purely  sectarian,  and  not  to  be  con- 
sidered narrow,  and  bigoted,  they  must  respond  and 
give  something.  On  both  buildings  there  is  a  debt,  and 
to  provide  for  these  the  women  of  both  congregations 
commence  money-raising.  They  give  oyster  suppers, 
l)eddle  aluminum  ware,  perfumery,  soap,  and  give  fairs, 
to  pay  off  the  debt.  Two  weak  centers  of  religious  in- 
fluence have  been  established.  Two  men  are  set  to  a 
work  which  one  could  do  better.  There  commences  the 
struggle  for  clothing,  food,  a  few  books,  and  a  hope  that 
the  Lord  will  open  the  door  to  a  living  salary.  It  finally 
becomes  necessary  for  each  man  to  divide  his  time  with 
another  community  in  a  .similar  condition.  By  a  spirit 
of  comity  they  have  so  arranged  that  only  one  man  con- 
ducts a  service  in  the  town  at  a  time,  and  they  have 
preaching  each  week.  The  work  is  divided  between  two 
leaders,  with  uidike  plans,  different  methods,  and  two 
sets  of  organizations.    Confusion  is  thrust  into  the  rc- 


CONFLICTS 


81 


ligious  life  of  tlie  community.   Fruitfulness  is  impaired. 

After  a  time  a  man  of  some  wealth  moves  into  the 
community.  Two  or  three  new  families  appear.  They 
liappen  to  he  connected  with  a  denomination  not  repre- 
sented in  the  town.  The  wealthy  man,  with  a  generous 
spirit,  and  a  zeal  for  the  kingdom  of  God,  rents  a  hall, 
and  a  minister  of  his  own  church  comes  and  conducts 
services.  After  some  months  a  church  organization  is 
effected.  In  a  short  time  a  new  church  edifice  is  erected 
and  dedicated  to  God.  A  new  pastor  is  needed,  and 
sliortly  is  on  the  field  and  we  have  three  fully  equipped 
churches  in  the  town.  In  the  same  spirit  of  comity  as 
is  elsewhere  manifested,  the  time  is  so  arranged  that 
there  is  a  service  in  each  church  once  in  three  weeks, 
and  a  church  service  in  the  town  every  Sunday.  From 
this  time  on,  each  church  has  one-third  time  of  a  pastor. 
Tliere  is  scarcely  any  increase  in  the  population  since 
a  single  man  in  a  single  church  ministered  to  the  com- 
munity. Then  the  organization  was  supported,  hut  with 
some  difficulty.  There  was  a  dignity  to  the  church,  and 
everytliing  was  moving  on  hopefully.  Now  with  tliree 
organizations,  with  three  centers,  three  distinct  methods 
of  work  and  one-tliird  of  the  time  of  three  different 
men,  each  church  is  weak,  and  by  a  hard  struggle  leads 
a  precarious  existence.  All  are  hainpered  for  money, 
there  are  few  competent  to  lead,  and  under  the  condi- 
tions nothing  beyond  the  simplest  Sabbath  services  can 
be  attempted.  There  was  room  for  the  first  church. 
Tliere  was  material  for  leadership  for  one;  church.  The 
peoi)lc  were  able  to  care  for  the  financial  needs  of  a 
single  organization.  Each  church  which  came  after  the 
first  was  bound  to  draw  its  members  from  the  church 
already  on  the  ground,  and  its  organizers  knew  it.  For 
the  second  and  third  churches  there  could  be  no  possil)le 
growth  except  by  preying  upon  tlie  first.  The  result  was 
in(?vitable.  Instead  of  one  fairly  strong,  efficient  organi- 
zation, able  to  do  its  work  well,  and  easily  to  provide  for 
tlu!  I'eligious  Tieeds  of  the  entire  coiniiiiiiiity,  we  have 
three  struggling  to  gain  soiiie  advantage  over  the  sister 


82 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


organizations.  It  was  inevitable  that  confusion  and  dis- 
cord and  a  secret  kind  of  internocene  strife  sliould  enter 
the  religious  community.  It  is  almost  a  miracle  if  sooner 
or  later  disaster  does  not  result.  Why  ?  Because  of  the 
mutual  interference  of  so-called  religious  organizations 
in  each  other's  effort  to  advance  the  kingdom  of  God. 
On  board  a  man  of  war  such  a  course  would  be  called 
mutiny.  In  an  army  it  would  be  nothing  less  than 
treason.  Under  our  denominational  system  it  is  called 
religious  enterprise.  "While  the  three  churches  are 
striving  to  serve  the  same  Lord,  while  they  profess  to 
preach  the  same  Gospel,  and  to  build  up  precisely  the 
same  kind  of  Christian  character,  they  are  in  appear- 
ance, before  the  world,  and  as  an  actual  fact,  in  conflict, 
and  each  one  is  really  interfering  with  the  work  of  the 
other  two.  With  the  three  their  work  is  hampered,  their 
buildings  are  out  of  repair,  their  pastors  are  discour- 
aged and  the  people  unnecessarily  burdened.  It  is  in- 
evitable that  there  should  appear  evidence  of  a  religious 
decline.  There  is  an  annual  unseemly  scramble  of  "re- 
vival meetings,"  "money-raising  contests,"  "personal 
work"  campaigns,  and  whatever  gives  slight  promise  of 
some  temporary  advantage  over  the  other  two  competi- 
tors. 

This  is  an  experience  not  of  a  single  town,  but  of  hun- 
dreds of  them  all  through  the  country.  The  picture  is 
a  sad  one.  We  may  talk  blandly  concerning  the  spirit 
of  brotherhood,  laud  our  comity  and  fellowship,  but  un- 
til we  are  able  to  behave  ourselves  as  servants  of  Christ 
and  to  live  together  in  one  organization  peaceably,  the 
outside  world  will  have  a  justifiable  doubt  concerning 
the  sincerity  of  our  protestations.  It  is  doubtful 
whether  the  church  has  anywhere  as  groat  a  foe  to  con- 
tend with  as  our  denominationalism.  This  kind  of  con- 
flict divides,  weakens,  and  even  thwarts  the  efforts  of 
God's  people.  There  appears  in  it  a  zeal  so  unlike  the 
spirit  of  the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus.  We  have  progressed 
so  far  in  a  certain  direction  that  with  something  of  a 
patronizing  air  we  look  upon  those  two  apostles  who 


CONFLICTS 


83 


would  forbid  those  who  differed  from  them  the  right  to 
preach.  We  say,  in  the  spirit  of  comity  and  brotherly 
love,  yes,  they  may  all  preach,  but  we  will  force  them 
out  of  our  organization,  and  will  do  our  best  to  render 
null  and  void  their  every  effort.  We  seem  to  forget  that 
by  this  spirit  of  division  we  really  attack  Christianity 
itself.  If,  as  we  are  told  by  those  who  would  ji;stify  de- 
nominations, that  we  are  one,  if,  as  they  tell  us,  there  is 
a  real  unity,  so  with  some  measure  of  reason  we  may  all 
be  said  to  belong  to  the  same  household  of  faith,  does 
it  not  look  very  much  as  though  our  household  were 
divided  against  itself?  The  question  is,  with  such  di- 
visions will  we  be  able  to  stand?  Are  such  confli(!ts  rea- 
sonable?  Are  they  necessary?   Can  they  be  justified? 


CHAPTER  V 


HARDSHIPS 

COME  years  ago  the  President  of  a  prominent  eastern 
college,  in  a  sermon  preached  in  a  neighboring  city, 
is  reported  to  have  used  the  following  language:  "In 
too  many  places  churches  have  been  erected,  a  number 
entirely  beyond  the  needs  of  communities  now  and  for 
a  long  time  to  come.  Many  are  living  at  a  poor  dying 
rate,  and  it  would  be  better  if  five  thousand  of  them 
were  burned  and  if  the  people  would  get  together  in 
one  large  church.  By  so  doing  the  cause  of  Christ  and 
humanity  would  be  far  better  conserved."  While  this 
is  strong  language  it  is  not  the  idle  assertion  of  one  who 
has  not  carefully  weighed  the  significance  of  what  he 
is  saying.  The  speaker,  a  man  of  mature  years,  a 
prominent  clergyman  in  one  of  the  leading  denomiiia- 
tions  of  the  country,  a  man  of  recognized  scholarship 
and  known  as  a  conservative  both  in  theology  and 
methods,  after  years  of  experience  as  a  pastor  and  edu- 
cator, was  in  a  position  which  should  entitle  him  to 
speak  with  a  measure  of  authority.  This  man  declares 
as  his  deliberate  sober  conviction  that  if  in  this  country 
five  thousand  church  edifices  should  burn  down,  and  not 
one  of  them  ever  be  rebuilt,  the  ' '  Cause  of  Christ  and 
humanity  would  be  conserved."  The  point  which  we 
would  hold  in  mind  is  this,  that  there  is  such  a  sur- 
plus of  church  edifices  and  organizations  in  this  country 
lhat  true  religion  suffers  because  of  it.  In  the  excessive 
tiiulliplying  of  religious  organizations  there  is  forced 
upon  tlie  people  a  real  hardslii]). 

First,  there  is  hardship  because  of  the  unnecessary  ex- 
pense involved  in  the  erection  of  these  buildings.  There 

84 


nARDsnirs 


85 


is  an  annual  unnecessary  expense  involved  in  the  keep- 
ing of  those  imnecessary  buildings  in  repair.  There  now 
comes  to  mind  a  county  seat  in  Ohio,  like  hundreds  of 
others  in  the  country,  with  a  population  of  retired  farm- 
ers, a  few  merchants,  the  employees  in  a  grain  elevator, 
and  two  or  three  small  factories.  This  town  has  sixteen 
churches.  The  largest  church  is  the  Roman  Catholic. 
If  we  divide  the  three  thousand  population  equally 
among  the  organizations  there  would  be  just  188  men, 
women  and  children  to  each  church.  Suppose  we  allow 
three  persons  to  a  family.  This  would  give  to  each 
organization  less  than  sixty -three  families.  Every  sixty- 
three  families  in  the  city  must  erect  a  church  building 
in  keeping  with  the  place,  and  keep  this  building  in  re- 
pair. The  population  must  build  sixteen  church  edifices, 
and  keep  them  in  repair,  where  one  would  serve  the  pur- 
pose better.  "We  assume  that  in  each  of  these  sixty-three 
families  one  person  is  the  bread  earner  of  the  house- 
hold. This  gives  the  real  situation  to  be  that  every 
sixty-three  men  in  that  community  must  combine,  erect 
a  church,  keep  it  in  repair,  either  buy  or  rent  a  house 
for  the  home  of  their  pastor  and  his  family  and  main- 
tain the  pastor  and  his  home.  Remembering  now  that 
in  most  families  the  income  is  but  little  in  excess  of 
what  is  needed  to  house,  feed  and  clothe  the  family,  giv- 
ing the  children  an  opportunity  to  secure  a  rudimentary 
education,  and  the  gravity  of  the  situation  becomes  ap- 
parent. The  church  tax  necessary  to  maintain  such  a 
situation  is  nothing  short  of  oppressive.  When  we  en- 
ter smaller  towns  and  villages  we  find  the  burden  is 
very  much  heavier  than  in  little  cities  of  three  thousand 
peopl(>.  Take  a  little  place  of  from  one  to  three  hundred 
population  with  three  and  four  Protestant  (.'hurchcs  and 
the  burden  is  increased.  Our  country  is  full  of  sueli 
places.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  find  in  the  United 
States  a  single  village  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  persons 
with  less  than  two  or  three  cliurcli  edifices.  When  we 
lake  the  situation  as  it  exists  all  through  the  country, 
the  thousands  of  those  little  towns,  and  the  tens  of  thou- 


86 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


sands  of  church  edifices,  then  remember  that  not  half  the 
population  of  the  country  is  connected  with  either  the 
Protestant  or  Roman  Catholic  Church,  we  gain  some 
idea  of  the  tremendous  financial  burden  which  is  borne 
by  the  Protestant  denominations.  The  gross  amount 
which  has  been  put  into  church  buildings  by  these  vari- 
ous denominations  is  certainly  sufficient  to  justify  the 
assertion  that  this  type  of  religious  propaganda  subjects 
the  people  to  a  real  hardship.  Any  other  tax  of  such 
a  nature  would  cause  the  people  to  rise  up  in  arms. 
This,  however,  is  a  voluntary  tax,  and  being  in  the  name 
of  religion  is  borne.  In  all  heathenism  we  find  nothing 
to  be  compared  with  this. 

After  the  buildings  are  erected  and  the  original  cost 
met,  then  comes  the  constant  drain  of  keeping  them  in 
repair,  and  maintaining  religious  services.  These  build- 
ings must  be  lighted,  warmed,  and  a  pastor  must  be 
provided.  The  expense  of  the  buildings  and  their  care 
is  so  great,  that  in  a  large  number  of  instances  the  ex- 
pense of  a  pastor  is  given  up  as  too  heavy.  It  has  be- 
come an  impossibility.  This  has  led  churches  to  seek 
to  join  with  other  churches  of  a  sister  denomination, 
each  raising  a  portion  of  the  salary,  and  taking  a  part 
of  his  time.  In  this  way  the  pastor  is  enabled  to  live. 
The  burden  is  also  made  somewhat  lighter  upon  the 
churches.  The  raising  of  the  money  to  run  the  Protes- 
tant Churches  is  always  a  struggle.  The  rule  is  that 
expenses  run  ahead  of  the  income.  To  help  out  a  va- 
riety of  groups  to  assist  in  this  laborious  matter  has  been 
organized.  Every  conceivable  method  to  induce  persons, 
who  would  not  give  directly,  to  assist  the  church  in  her 
financial  troubles  has  been  invented.  In  a  city  of  four 
thousand  one  of  the  denominations  decided  to  erect  a 
new  church.  The  pastor,  as  he  believed  that  his  stand- 
ing as  a  minister  in  his  denomination  would  be  aug- 
mented by  the  magnificence  of  the  building,  was  ambi- 
tious that  it  should  be  a  large  and  imposing  structure. 
Plans  were  secured  and  the  work  commenced.  Wlien 
the  walls  were  up  and  the  roof  was  on  the  funds  failed. 


HARDSHIPS 


87 


It  became  necessary  to  go  out  and  raise  more  money.  1 
The  Committee  having  the  matter  in  charge  pleaded  I 
with  their  own  members  until  the  last  penny  had  been  j 
extracted.  Still  their  necessities  were  not  met.  They  ; 
made  a  raid  upon  the  community.  The  committee  of  j 
solicitation  was  enlarged,  the  city  was  divided  up,  and 
this  committee  went  out,  going  from  man  to  man  in  all 
llie  other  churches,  soliciting  money.  The  ladies'  or- 
ganization gave  suppers,  the  young  people  organized 
lecture  bureaus,  and  lectures,  concerts,  and  shows  of 
nearly  every  description  where  there  was  the  promise 
of  gain  was  offered  to  the  community,  in  the  name  of  the 
church.  An  implied  boycott  for  merchants,  lawyers, 
physicians,  and  business  men  in  general  was  employed. 
This  was  continued  for  several  months,  and  at  last  more 
money  was  obtained,  and  the  building  was  finished.  This 
struggle  produced  a  new  situation.  The  new  building 
wa.s  by  far  the  best  in  the  town.  The  denomination  had 
gained  a  decided  advantage.  Because  of  the  inroads 
made  upon  another  denomination  a  second  church  build- 
ing was  determined  upon.  This  church  must  raise  not 
less  money,  but  more,  so  that  a  finer  building  could  be 
erected.  The  new  building  is  to  be  within  a  few  hun- 
dred feet  of  where  the  elegant  rival  building  stands. 
Again  the  town  must  be  taxed.  There  follows  a  repeti- 
tion of  the  struggle  of  money-raising.  Then  a  third  and 
a  fourth  church  is  forced  to  rebuild  until  all  the  lead- 
ing denominations  in  the  little  city  have  rebuilt.  Within 
a  few  years  this  town,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  new 
churches,  has  been  compelled  to  raise  from  one  hundred 
and  fifty  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  for 
new  church  buildings.  While  doing  this  they  must  keep 
up  their  running  expenses.  The  pastors,  whose  salaries 
are  small  compared  with  their  expenses,  find  that  they ' 
are  not  paid  promptly,  and  often  are  forced  to  cancel  a 
part  of  what  was  promised  them.  They  must  also  sub- 
scribe to  the  new  buildings.  Not  uufrerpKmtly  real 
hardship  is  involved.  No.w  the  sad  thing  concerning 
this  is,  it  is  not  a  fancy  sketch.    It  is  not  even  some- 


i 


88 


THE  DTYTDED  TTOUSE 


thing  of  rare  occurronco.  The  thingr  here  flescribed  has 
actually  taken  place  in  all  its  details.  It  is  now  taking 
place  in  hundreds  of  American  villages. 

The  pastors  and  their  families  are  bearing,  because 
of  this  situation,  burdens  which  are  grinding  almost  to 
death.  The  man  who  goes  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  to 
preach  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen  receives  a  living  salary, 
i 'revision  is  made  for  his  care  during  sickness,  or  after 
he  ha.s  so  worn  himself  out  that  he  has  ceased  to  be  ef- 
fective. Provision  is  made  for  the  education  of  his  chil- 
dren. The  man  w'ho  takes  the  average  parish  at  home 
sees  little  possibility  for  the  education  of  his  family,  if 
he  have  one,  beyond  what  the  children  can  do  for  them- 
selves. He  cannot  send  his  children  from  home  to  study. 
With  his  meagre  salary  there  is  little  possibility  for  his 
finding  a  season  of  rest  away  from  his  parish  and  free 
from  work  and  care.  His  library,  his  working  tools,  are 
meagre.  He  takes  the  denominational  paper,  but  such 
journals  and  quarterlies,  which  are  so  necessary  that  he 
may  keep  pace  with  the  times,  are  beyond  his  reach. 
There  is  little  incentive  to  study.  The  financial  strain 
is  ever  on  and  he  loses  spirit  at  the  first.  There  is  a 
garden,  and  his  necessity  compels  him  to  make  this 
produce  as  much  as  possible.  The  life  of  the  student  is 
dissipated.  Every  expense  is  cut  to  the  limit.  His  wife 
joins,  and  together  they  fight  the  prolonged  battle,  a 
struggle  to  keep  out  of  debt.  Not  only  is  the  pastor  an 
educated  man,  with  cultivated  tastes,  but  his  wife  is  an 
educated,  cultured  woman,  not  unusually  the  most  cul- 
tured woman  in  the  community.  She  is  forced  to  be 
cook,  scrub-woman,  wash-woman,  mirse,  tailor,  dress- 
maker, as  well  as  the  leader  in  every  kind  of  benevo- 
lent and  missionary  work.  This  man  and  his  wife  have 
come  frotn  homes  of  culture  and  refinement  and  have 
artistic  tastes.  Children  are  born,  and  as  they  grow 
older  become  more  expensive  and  embarrassments  mul- 
tiply. The  parents  dctei'mine  that  at  any  cost  they  shall 
be  educated.  The  time  never  comes  when  the  father 
cm  take  fifty  dollars  from  his  salary  to  aid  his  child  in 


HARDSniPS 


89 


his  study.  If  the  boy  or  p:irl  over  secures  an  education 
he  must  work  it  out  for  liimself.  The  child  in  a  clergy- 
man's home,  so  unfortunate  as  to  be  born  phj^sically 
weak,  is  usually  doomed.  The  people  are  hard  pressed, 
the  salary  gets  in  arrears,  the  pastor  struggles  to  keep 
out  of  debt,  expenses  increase,  the  man  and  his  wife 
grow  desperate.  Something  has  to  be  done  and  done 
at  once.  The  only  hope  wiiich  appears  before  the  poor 
fellow  is  in  moving.  His  church  owes  him  a  few  hun- 
dred dollars,  which  he  cannot  collect  without  bringing 
himself  into  disrepute,  and  so  he  sets  forth  to  find  an- 
other field.  This  affords  a  brief  respite,  with  a  cheering 
ray  of  hope,  as  he  enters  a  field  just  left  by  a  man  suf- 
fering under  burdens  similar  to  his  own.  The  moving 
incurred  a  slight  debt,  and  scarcely  had  he  become  scut- 
tled in  his  new  field  when  the  struggle  commenced  in 
an  intensified  form.  If  he  be  successful,  it  is  possible 
that  by  the  time  tliat  the  ne.xt  move  comes  he  has  just 
about  evened  up  with  his  creditors.  Under  such  condi- 
tions should  we  be  .surprised  that  the  heart  grows  heavy, 
and  there  comes  a  loss  of  confidence,  so  that  as  old  age 
comes  the  man  is  forced  to  apply  to  some  Church  Board 
for  aid,  the  very  application  for  which  in  the  form  re- 
quired is  an  acknowledgment  of  financial  insolvency 
and  failure.  The  number  of  men  who  bear  just  this  kind 
of  burden  is  very  large.  The  only  hope  remaining  for 
such  is  the  final  release,  and  the  assurance  that  in 
heaven,  even  for  poor  ministers,  there  will  be  no  finan- 
cial burdens.  IIow  men  of  spirit,  with  the  full  average 
of  ability,  having  as  much  ambition  as  their  fellows, 
loving  their  wives  and  children  as  much  as  other  men, 
and  would  do  as  much  for  their  comfort  and  happin(>ss, 
are  able  year  after  year  uncomplainingly  to  bear  such 
burdens,  with  no  hope  beff)re  death,  is  one  of  the  unex- 
plained marvels.  Yet  we  hear  men  di.scuss  the  brevity 
of  the  pastorate  to-day,  as  though  it  were  something  for 
which  the  minister  is  responsil)le.  We  hear  men  won- 
der why  (iod  does  not  send  more  men  into  the  ministry. 
Is  it  very  i)robal)le  that  the  iiuui  at  all  familiar  with 


90  THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE  j 

the   condition   of  the   average   minister   to-day  "will  , 

willingly  turn  from  the  hope  of  a  good  income,  a  com-  ; 

fortable  home,  and  a  possible  competence  to  enter  upon  , 
such  a  career  of  humiliation,  embarrassment  and  finan- 
cial pinching,  which  grows  tighter  with  advanicng  years, 

as  is  proffered  in  the  ministry?    Is  it  strange  that  men  | 

thus  harassed  should  seek  a  measure  of  relief  by  seek-  i 

ing  a  new  field?    Ought  we  to  wonder  that  some  men  j 

in  the  ministry,  counted  slow  of  pay,  whose  salaries  are  ' 

always  in  arrears,  can  never  rise  above  the  charge?  | 

Now,  let  us  ask,  what  is  this  all  for?    Is  it  to  send  the  | 
Gospel  into  all  the  world  ?    Is  it  for  the  sake  of  Christ 
our  Lord  and  the  salvation  of  dying  souls?    Then  we 
could  call  such  a  course  heroism,  an  expression  of  the 
noblest  character.   But  this  is  not  the  reason.   It  is  that 

we  may  maintain  our  denominational  fight.   It  is  a  part  ' 

of  the  struggle  to  continue  our  present  system  of  de-  ' 

nominationalism.  ; 

These  are  some  of  the  hardships  forced  upon  us  by  J 
denominationalism.  Such  hardships  unman  a  large  pro-  i 
portion  of  the  active  ministry.  This  kind  of  hardship  ; 
breaks  the  spirit  of  multitudes  of  the  finest  and  noblest  j 
of  American  men  and  women.  Sometimes  we  even  as- 
sume to  speak  of  these  hardships  as  enduring  hardness  | 
for  Christ's  sake.  Men  who  are  bearing  these  burdens,  i 
together  with  their  noble,  patient  wives,  are  saying,  j 
"This  is  denying  ourselves  for  Christ's  sake  and  the  ; 
Gospels. "  Is  it  true  ?  Would  it  not  be  nearer  the  truth  ] 
to  say,  "This  is  self-denial  for  the  sake  of  mahitaining  i 
denominational  lines"?  Is  it  not  also  true  that  such  a  ' 
course  is  really  a  retarding  of  the  progress  of  the  King- 
dom of  God  on  earth?  Our  pastors  are  denying  tliom- 
selves  for  the  sake  of  Methodism,  Presbyterianism,  Con-  ( 
gregalionalism,  Lutheranism.  In  a  little  village  where  | 
there  should  be  but  one  church  we  find  three,  a  Metho-  J 
dist,  a  l^aptist  and  a  Lutheran.  There  are  one  hun- 
dred and  tliirty  people  living  in  the  village.  Trying  ; 
to  eke  out  a  subsistence  upon  such  salaries  as  they  re-  j 
eeive,  are  three  pastors.    All  three  are  genuine  men  of  J 


HARDSHIPS 


91 


(I'od  and  are  sincerely  desirous  of  doing  His  will.  They 
all  prcat'h  the  same  Saviour,  from  the  same  Bible;  they 
urge  the  necessity  for  the  same  kind  of  repentance  and 
tho  same  faith.  If  any  two  of  them  should  go  away  and 
their  churches  be  dissolved,  and  their  adherents  should 
enter  the  remaining  church,  would  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel  in  its  purity  cease?  Would  Christian  work  di- 
minish? "Would  the  kingdom  of  God  suffer  in  any  re- 
spect? Then  why  should  there  be  three  men  to  starve 
and  to  burden  the  community  when  one  could  do  pre- 
cisely the  same  kind  of  work,  and  do  it  far  better? 
Simply  because  we  would  have  fifty  Methodists  minis- 
tered unto  by  a  man  who  bears  that  particular  stripe, 
and  forty  Baptists  and  the  same  number  of  Lutherans 
shepherded  by  men  who  bear  the  imprimatur  of  these 
particular  denominations.  These  men  are  denying 
themselves  not  for  Christ's  sake  nor  the  Gospel's,  but 
for  the  sake  of  the  Baptist  Church,  the  Lutheran  Chiirch 
and  the  IMethodist  Church.  Men  subject  themselves  to 
tliis  kind  of  hardship,  not  to  lead  souls  to  Christ,  not 
to  persuade  men  to  believe  in  the  Gospel,  but  to  make 
a  Baptist  of  him,  or  a  Lutheran,  or  a  Methodist.  These 
three  pastors  arc  all  Christian  men.  They  desire  the 
glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  men.  They  show  their 
sincerity  and  depth  of  character  by  the  readiness  with 
which  uncomplainingly  they  assume  burdens.  There  is 
a  way  in  which  the  great  denominational  leaders,  who 
direct  the  establishment  of  the  smaller  fields,  appear  like 
certain  persons  spoken  of  in  the  Scriptures,  who  placed 
upon  the  shoulders  of  men  burdens  too  heavy  to  be 
borne,  but  did  not  themselves  lift  a  finger  to  help.  This 
course  seems  scarcely  right.  Neither  is  it  quite  fair  to 
the  Great  Head  of  the  church  to  say  that  this  kind  of 
self-denial  is  for  His  .sake.  He  certainly  never  has 
placed  such  burdens,  for  such  reasons,  upon  either  the 
churches  or  the  ministry.  These  burdens  are  unneces- 
sary and  are  placed  upon  us,  not  by  God,  but  by  our 
deiioiiiinations.  Christ  makes  no  such  demand  upon  His 
followers.    It  is  the  spirit  of  dcuominatioualism.  The 


92 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


Master  is  not  glorified  by  any  self-denial  for  such  sec- 
tarian ends.  Such  self-denial  increases  the  embarrass- 
ment of  the  church.  It  is  worse  than  wasted,  for  it 
plunges  the  church  of  our  Lord  into  a  state  of  con- 
fusion. It  retards  the  progress  of  the  Kingdom  of  God. 
We  had  almost  said  better  would  it  have  been  if  those 
practicing  such  self-denial  under  such  conditions  had 
refused  to  subject  themselves  to  such  indignities,  and 
had  never  entered  the  ministry.  Such  self-denial  should 
not  be  called  Christian,  for  it  is  purely  sectarian. 


CHAPTER  VI 


THE  WASTE  OP  DENOMINATIONALISM 

OR  a  generation  there  has  been  a  movement  in  every 


*  tlei)artinent  of  business  to  diminish  the  expense  of 
production.  One  of  the  means  by  vphieh  this  has  been 
attempted  is  to  increase  the  volume  of  business  done  by 
a  given  company,  thus  diminishing  the  cost  of  pro- 
ducing or  handling  each  article.  JManufacturers  seek 
to  enlarge  the  output,  which  vporks  to  their  advantage 
in  several  particulars.  It  makes  it  profitable  for  them 
to  put  up-to-date  and  more  effective  machinery  in  their 
plant.  This  economises  in  the  expense  of  labor.  They 
are  able  to  secure  raw  material  on  better  terms  when 
they  can  purchase  in  very  large  quantities.  They  can 
dispose  of  tlie  manufactured  product  to  better  advan- 
tage because  of  increased  shipping  facilities,  diminished 
expense  for  salesmen,  and  similar  items.  As  this  method 
has  succeeded,  it  has  grown,  reaching  out  farther  and 
farther,  until  it  now  includes  nearly  all  kinds  of  manu- 
factured articles.  Men  have  entered  larger  partner- 
ships, bringing  large  masses  of  capital  into  combination, 
and  making  large  business  a  possibility.  Large  plants 
have  been  erected,  and  a  multitude  of  laborers  em- 
ployed, and  the  effectiveness  of  labor  has  been  largely 
increased.  While  under  this  method  there  has  been  a 
steady  increase  in  wages,  productiveness  has  been  so 
much  more  increased  that,  while  there  has  been  an  in- 
crease in  profits,  there  has  been  a  large  decrease  in  the 
cost  of  llie  cotruiiodities  to  Ihv.  |)ublic.  Seventy-five  years 
ago  tb(!re  were  no  great  shoe  factories  in  the  country. 
It  used  to  be  llii;  custom  to  iiiaiiufacture  the  clothing 
worn  by  the  farmer's  family  in  the  home.    The  New 


94 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


England  farmer  every  Winter  brought  to  his  home 
the  travelling  shoemaker,  who  remained  for  a  week  or 
more,  making  up  the  family  supply  of  boots  and  shoes 
for  the  coming  year.  Thirty-five  years  ago,  in  a  vil- 
lage in  Vermont  on  the  corner  of  two  streets,  stood  a 
store,  which  was  a  frame,  white  building.  High  above 
the  second-story  window  were  black  letters,  plainly 
showing  through  the  paint,  the  name  of  a  man  fol- 
lowed by  the  word  "Hatter."  For  many  years  in  the 
rooms  in  this  second  story  there  lived  a  man  who  manu- 
factured hats.  His  customers  were  the  people  of  the 
town  and  the  farmers  of  the  surrounding  country.  In 
the  childhood  of  many  now  living,  scattered  through 
the  New  England  towns,  were  what  was  then  called 
"carding  mills."  Every  Summer  after  "sheep  shear- 
ing," the  farmers  took  their  wool  to  these  mills,  where 
it  was  cleansed  and  made  into  "rolls."  These  were 
taken  home  to  the  farmers'  wives,  who  during  the  Au- 
tumn days  spun  them  into  yarn  and  wove  the  yarn  into 
cloth.  Nearly  all  of  the  heavier  cloth  was  manufac- 
tured into  clothing,  and  was  worn  by  the  family.  Here 
and  there  were  persons  known  as  "fullers,"  and  those 
who  could  afford  finer  garments  took  their  cloth  to  these 
persons,  who  made  it  thicker,  firmer,  and  more  attrac- 
tive. The  farmer  took  his  horses  to  the  village  black- 
smith to  be  "shod."  The  smith  cut  the  shoes  from  bars 
of  iron  and  hammered  them  out  on  his  anvil,  making 
the  entire  shoe.  Fi*om  a  smaller  rod  he  hammered  out 
the  nails,  and  all  that  was  needed  was  manufactured 
in  this  shop.  One  hundred  and  a  little  more  years  ago 
every  nail  used  in  the  erection  of  buildings  was  ham- 
mered out  on  the  anvil  by  the  village  blacksmith.  To- 
day no  man  can  afford  to  make  horsesho3  nails  upon  the 
anvil.  Building  nails  would  cost  a  fabulous  sum  if  they 
had  to  be  made  by  hand  now.  All  this  kind  of  work  is 
done  in  the  large  factory,  and  so  cheaply  that  no  smith 
can  afford  to  do  it  by  hand.  This  is  because  by  com- 
bination it  has  become  possible  to  use  expensive  ma- 
chinery and  manufacture  large  quantities,  reducing 


THE  WASTE  OF  DENOMINATIONALISM  95 


niaiiyfold  the  price  of  the  article  made.  In  transporta- 
tion a  corresponding  change  has  taken  place.  Seventy- 
five  years  ago  or  less,  a  man  living  in  Vermont  who  de- 
sired to  go  to  New  York  City  would  be  I'cquired  to  pur- 
chase several  tickets,  each  taking  him  over  the  road  of 
a  given  company.  Suppose  he  start  from  Burlington, 
Vci"mont.  lie  would  buy  a  ticket  to  Rutland,  change 
cars,  buy  another  ticket,  recheck  his  baggage,  and  at 
Troy  repeat  the  experience,  and  finally  arrive  in  New 
York,  consuming  a  part  of  two  days.  The  trip  can  now 
be  taken  on  a  single  ticket,  with  baggage  checked 
through,  and  in  an  afternoon.  If  a  merchant  in  New 
York  desired  to  visit  Toledo,  Ohio,  during  Buchanan's 
administration,  he  would  purchase  a  ticket  for  Albany, 
and  check  his  baggage.  Here  he  would  change  cars,  ob- 
tain a  new  ticket,  check  his  baggage,  and  go  on  to  Utica, 
where  he  would  repeat  the  experience.  This  would  be 
repeated  again  at  possibly  Syracuse  and  Rochester,  Buf- 
falo, Erie  and  Cleveland.  His  ticket  would  cost  him 
from  six  to  ten  cents  per  mile.  If  he  were  fortunate 
he  would  arrive  in  Toledo  on  the  third  day  out  of  New 
York.  Tliree  days  was  the  time  allowed  for  this  jour- 
ney. All  this  has  changed.  The  little  roads  have  com- 
bined and  formed  a  great  railroad  system.  The  various 
systems  have  made  alliances  until  to-day  transportation 
has  been  cheapened,  made  more  rapid  and  almost  as 
comfortable  as  sitting  in  one's  own  home.  The  time 
has  been  reduced  so  that  a  man  can  take  his  seat  in  a 
car  in  New  York  just  at  evening  and  leave  the  train 
in  Toledo  the  next  morning.  While  greater  speed  is 
made,  and  transportation  has  been  cheapened  and  ren- 
dered safer,  the  workmen  receive  greatly  increased 
wages. 

In  mercantile  lines  we  find  a  similar  movement.  The 
department  store  is  the  result.  This  is  simply  the 
gathering  of  a  number  of  old  stores  into  one  l)uilding, 
under  a  single  management,  with  a  single  orfu-e  force, 
thus  materially  diminishing  the  cost  of  doing  business. 
Wages  have  been  increased,  profits  increased,  yut  the 


96 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


goods  are  given  to  the  purchaser  at  a  greatly  reduced 
price.  It  is  impossible  for  the  old-time  store  to  com- 
])cte  with  the  modern  combination  store.  Our  age  has 
caught  the  spirit  of  combination,  and  we  see  it  working 
out  everywhere.  Small  concerns  are  combining,  making 
larger  and  larger  stores,  and  larger  factories  are  eoales- 
ing,  forming  still  larger.  The  result  is  cheapening  pro- 
duction, increasing  wages,  and  augmenting  the  profits 
of  capital,  while  the  consumer  pays  far  less  for  the  ar- 
ticles purchased.  This  spirit  has  found  its  'way  even 
into  the  life  of  the  home.  We  have  the  combination 
homes.  Family  hotels  and  the  great  modern  flats  are 
illustrations.  In  these  the  modern  and  expensive  homes 
are  obtained  at  a  minimum  of  cost.  The  movement  does 
not  seem  to  have  stopped.  Co-operating  housekeeping 
is  being  not  only  discussed,  but  has  actually  found  a 
place  in  modern  life.  Everywhere  appears  the  concentra- 
tion of  forces,  the  combination  of  capital,  small  interests 
combine  and  form  large  companies,  economy  is  secured, 
effectiveness  increased,  and  every  one  is  benefited.  But 
to  this  movement  there  appears  a  single  exception,  the 
church.  Religious  work  is  still  carried  on  in  the  same 
old,  wasteful,  extravagant  way.  While  everywhere  else 
we  find  combination,  the  cutting  down  of  expense,  the 
increasing  of  effectiveness,  in  the  church  we  cling  to 
the  same  old  divisive,  extravagant  method  employed  by 
those  who  lived  a  hundred  years  ago.  In  some  quarters 
the  incongruity  has  been  felt,  and  we  are  seeking  to 
raise  up  a  class  of  specialists,  who  go  about  the  country 
holding  schools  of  "Efficiency"  in  a  desperate  struggle 
partially  to  remedy  the  evils  of  our  course,  by  causing 
these  expensive  methods,  if  possible,  to  be  somewhat 
more  productive.  The  work  of  the  Protestant  Church 
of  to-day  is  carried  on  in  very  much  the  same  way  that 
the  manufacture  of  shoes  was  when  the  shoemaker  went 
from  house  to  house.  The  church  is  just  as  ambitious 
to  grow  as  was  the  old-time  "hatter,"  "shoemaker," 
"fullei-,"  or  blacksmith  to  become  i-ich.  At  that  time, 
with  his  constituency,  about  all  the  manufacturer  could 


THE  WASTE  OF  DENOMINATIONALISM  97 


do  was  to  live.  The  church  in  her  divided  state  is 
working  on  in  the  same  old  expensive  manner.  We  mul- 
tiply church  organizations,  church  buildings,  and  dif- 
ferent lines  of  church  activities.  We  increase  our 
church  organizations  and  buildings  to  three  and  five 
times  as  many  as  we  actually  need,  and  place  three  or 
five  men  at  the  head  of  them  to  starve,  as  preachers 
and  pastors,  where  a  single  man  could  do  the  work  very 
much  better  alone.  This  is  not  only  increasing  the  ex- 
pense of  running  the  church  three  and  fivefold,  but 
it  diminishes  the  effectiveness  of  the  work  of  these  men 
in  very  nearly  the  same  ratio.  We  have  so  adjusted 
our  system  that  there  is  a  continual  interference  be- 
tween the  various  denominations  in  nearly  every  com- 
munity. So  keen  has  become  this  competition  that  in 
most  cases  the  only  possible  way  in  which  a  single  con- 
gregation can  succeed  is  to  turn  cannibal  and  feed  on 
its  competitors.  That  we  may  maintain  this  condition 
we  are  taxing  our  members  excessively,  and  demanding 
extreme  sacrifices  on  the  part  of  the  clergy.  With  this, 
even  we  come  short,  and  seek  to  supplement  our  efforts, 
and  in  some  measure  relieve  the  strain  by  a  great  va- 
riety of  expedients.  Among  these  we  have  "Revivals," 
"Lectures,"  "Concerts,"  "Socials,"  "Suppers,"  "Ba- 
zaars," and  a  variety  of  methods  to  catch  the  crowd 
and  obtain  its  money.  We  find  our  church  organiza- 
tions engaged  in  peddling  cook  books,  selling  per- 
fumery, soap,  post  cards,  the  picture  of  the  pastor, 
aluminum  ware,  fireless  cookers,  carpet  cleaners,  silk 
skirts,  cor.sets,  and  I  know  not  what  else,  receiving  a 
small  commission  for  the  labor,  which  is  supposed  to  be 
turned  over  to  the  church.  This,  it  is  hoped,  will  swell 
somewhat  the  ever-depleted  treasury. 

Such  frantic  efforts,  we  find,  are  not  sufficient  to 
maintain  this  kind  of  evangelism.  The  churches  of  the 
stronger  fields  must  send  help  to  the  feeble  si.sters  less 
favoiably  located.  Pastors,  representatives  of  l5oards, 
agents,  bombard  our  churches  with  appeals  for  help. 
Money  must  be  obtained  or  the  struggling  churches 


98 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


must  go  down.  Throughout  the  entire  country  there 
arc  multitudes  of  weak  churches,  foreordained  to  be 
weak  and  feeble  so  long  as  our  present  system  con- 
tinues. Help  must  be  secured  for  these.  It  is  probably 
true  that  two-thirds,  if  not  three-fourths  of  the  money 
which  is  used  in  so-called  home  mission  work,  goes  to 
churches  which  by  their  existence  diminish  the  real  foi'ce 
of  Christianity  in  the  community.  It  is  not  unusual 
to  find  two,  three  and  even  four  churches  in  a  com- 
munity, each  drawing  help  from  the  denominational 
Board,  and  which  succeed  in  keeping  each  other  weak 
and  inef¥eetive.  Were  there  a  single  church  in  the  com- 
munity it  would  be  strong,  self-supporting,  and  re- 
spected by  all.  In  such  a  field  every  effort  which  is 
put  forth  by  a  pastor  or  earnest  Christian  worker  to 
secure  the  attendance  of  persons  who  are  attending 
other  churches,  not  only  is  an  interference  with  success 
of  the  kingdom  of  God,  but  is  worse  than  a  waste  of  re- 
ligious energy  and  consecrated  money.  ]\Iany  illustra- 
tions of  previous  chapters  could  be  fittingly  used  hex'e  as 
evidence.  We  see  in  this  a  criminal  waste  in  money,  in 
effort,  and  in  men. 

This  waste  is  not  confined  to  new  fields  and  the  less 
developed  communities.  If  this  were  all  there  would  be 
the  hope  that  at  some  time  things  might  become  ad- 
justed, and  a  rational  basis  reached.  We  find  it  just 
the  same  in  the  old  and  established  States.  A  New 
England  village,  of  two  or  three  hundred  population, 
where  there  used  to  be  one  strong  Congregational 
Church,  with  a  large,  imposing  building,  has  been 
crowded  by  another  denomination  forcing  its  way  into 
the  community.  It  may  be  a  Baptist  Church,  or  a 
Methodist  Church.  While  they  may  not  become  strong, 
they  do  draw  the  strength  froin  the  older  church.  The 
little  churches  struggle  on,  they  are  unable  to  make 
headway,  but  they  succeed  in  embarras.sing  the  old 
church.  Existence  becomes  a  fight  for  them  all,  which 
year  after  year  with  desperation  must  be  waged.  They 
erect  their  buildings,  and  pastors  come.    The  number 


THE  WASTE  OP  DENOMINATIONALISM  99 


who  have  no  church  home  increases.  The  churches  no 
longer  lead  the  community.  The  hope  of  the  little  con- 
gregations is  that  some  day  there  may  arise  a  dissension 
in  the  large  church,  when,  like  birds  of  prey,  they  will 
swoop  down  and  gather  in  the  disaffected.  The  sad 
thing,  the  Gospel  is  no  better  preached ;  Christian  work 
is  no  better  done  than  before  the  competition  com- 
menced. 

Here  is  another  instance  where  all  the  organizations 
are  of  long  standing.  It  is  doubtful  whether  it  may  bo 
possible  to  find  in  America  a  single  village  of  seven  hun- 
dred people  which  has  not  at  least  two  Protestant 
Churches,  and  probably  three  or  even  more.  Not  far 
from  the  place  where  the  writer  sits  is  a  little  hamlet 
of,  possibly,  twenty  houses.  The  little  country  store 
and  post  office  are  the  only  business  in  the  place.  In 
that  village  are  three  Protestant  Churches.  One  has  a 
fairly  good  congregation,  mostly  farmers.  The  pastors 
of  the  other  two  churches  seldom  have  in  their  congre- 
gations over  twenty  or  thirty  persons.  Is  it  not  an  un- 
pardonable waste  of  men  and  money  to  attempt  to  main- 
tain three  churches  in  such  a  community?  The  pastors 
must  be  paid  something,  the  buildings  must  be  kept  in 
repair,  heated  and  lighted.  Every  person  in  the  com- 
munity could  be  just  as  well  cared  for  in  a  single  or- 
ganization and  building.  The  work  would  be  just  as 
effective,  and  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  just  as  help- 
ful to  every  person  as  it  is  now.  Just  as  pure  and  spir- 
itual a  type  of  Christianity  would  be  maintained  under 
.such  a  condition  as  now.  But  this,  while  done  in  the 
name  of  Christianity,  is  not  in  the  interests  of  the  cause 
of  Christianity.  It  is  done  purely  for  the  sake  of  de- 
nominationalism.  It  is  to  develop,  not  Christians,  any 
one  of  these  churches  could  do  this,  but  sectarians,  men 
who  shall  bear  a  denominational  stamp.  To  one  on  the 
outside  this  must  seem  devoid  of  the  true  spirit  of 
('hrist.  •  To  such  it  would  seem  that  tin;  money  w(!nt 
to  Foster  dissension.  Surely  no  organization  other  tlicin 
the  church  would  for  a  moment  think  of  doiug  so  waste- 


100 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


ful  a  thing.   The  marvel  is,  the  Church  of  Christ  should. 

Going  in  another  direction  from  this  same  place  is  an- 
other village,  a  trifle  larger  than  the  one  of  which  we 
have  been  speaking.  "We  find  here  three  church  or- 
ganizations, with  three  separate  buildings.  Turning  in 
another  direction,  and  a  little  way  in  the  country,  are 
two  church  buildings,  with  organizations.  In  the  same 
county  is  a  village  of  about  two  thousand,  with  five 
Protestant  Churches,  and  a  large  Roman  Catholic 
Church.  Another  village  of  about  twenty-five  hundred 
has  five  Protestant  Churches,  another  thrifty  village, 
in  the  same  county,  with  a  population  of  one  thousand, 
has  four  Protestant  Churches.  In  the  same  coimty.  in 
the  open  country,  at  cross-roads,  are  eight  Protestant 
Churches.  These  churches  all  have  buildings,  with  pas- 
tors who  regularly  supply  them  with  services.  There 
is  a  multiplying  of  church  buildings  and  organizations 
to  an  extent  where  the  waste  seems  simple  extravagance 
and  unjustifiable.  It  is  probable  that  if  in  the  county  in 
question  four  out  of  every  five  churches  should  lose 
their  buildings  by  fire,  and  never  rebuild,  and  thus 
four-fifths  of  the  organizations  should  go  out  of  exist- 
ence, the  kingdom  of  God  would  be  decidedly  strength- 
ened. The  spiritual  needs  of  the  population  would  bo 
far  better  served,  and  no  one  would  suffer  from  the 
change.  These  people  all  accept  the  same  fundamental 
doctrines  and  are  striving  for  the  same  great  end.  A 
wise  combination  of  churches  in  this  county  would 
enable  those  remaining  to  equip  themselves  far  better, 
to  secure  more  efficient  pastors,  to  do  far  better  work, 
and  to  do  it  on,  at  the  most,  one-third  of  what  is  now 
paid.  Two-thirds  of  the  money  now  expended  sim]>ly 
decreases  the  inefficiency  of  the  church. 

But  let  us  look  at  another  type  of  church.  Here  is  a 
county  seat  with  a  population  of  3,600,  with  sixteen 
Protestant  Churches.  Another  county  seat  with  5,000, 
and  wliich  is  said  not  to  be  "over-churched,"  has  nine 
I'rotcstant  Churches.  It  is  difficult  to  find  another 
towji  of  equal  size,  without  more  churches.    There  are 


THE  WASTE  OF  DENOMINATIONALISM  101 


something  over  555  men,  women  and  children,  if  all  go 
to  church,  for  each  organization.  But  as  there  is  a 
strong  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  the  city,  the  number 
per  church  is  reduced  to  about  520  to  each  Protestant 
Church.  We  must  further  remember  that,  as  in  every 
other  community,  there  is  in  this  city  a  non-church- 
going  population  of  several  hundred.  After  these  are 
deducted  we  must  reduce  the  number  per  church  to  less 
than  500.  This  is  a  much  better  showing  than  in  most 
cities  or  villages.  Now  if  for  a  moment  we  examine 
this  city,  we  find  that  even  here  there  is  a  most  extrava- 
gant duplication.  There  is  a  needless  duplication  of 
buildings.  Two  buildings,  at  the  most,  could  care  for 
the  entire  population.  Thi.s  would  save  at  least  seven 
buildings,  as  one  organization  lias  not  been  able  to  build. 
There  is  a  needless  duplication  of  pastor's  work.  In- 
stead of  fifteen  or  eighteen  sermons  each  Sunday  two  or. 
at  the  most,  four  would  be  far  more  effective.  One  or 
two  pastors,  with  as.sistants  and  helpers  would  be  able 
to  look  after  the  religious  interests  of  the  city  far  bet- 
ter than  the  nine  men  can  do  it  under  the  present  con- 
ditions. In  this  city  alone  more  money  everj'  year  is 
worse  than  thrown  away  in  maintaining  these  nine  or- 
ganizations, twice  over,  than  is  given  by  all  the  churches 
to  benevolence.  So  many  men  m  every  communitj' 
simply  get  in  each  other's  way,  that  the  cau.se  of  Clirist 
suffers  serious  loss.  The  waste  in  money  and  men,  be- 
cause of  such  interference,  is  serious.  The  gigantic 
waste  of  consecrated  energy  is  appalling.  One  wondcM's 
why  the  church  will  persist  in  going  on  in  tliis  way 
when,  at  tlie  most,  one-third  of  the  men  and  money 
would  aceomplisli  fur  greater  results.  It  seems  tliat  we 
have  grown  tboughtless  and  liave  drifted  into  tlie  habit 
of  si)ending  money  in  a  prodigal  Tiianner.  To  illuslrate, 
suppose  the  churches  of  a  given  county  require  one 
luindred  thousand  dollars  to  carry  on  tlieir  work  .suc- 
cessfully. Tliis  amount  would  provide  for  all  the  work 
which  tluy  could  do,  and  the  provision  would  be  ade- 
quate to  support  all  (h'partmenls  of  the  work  well.  IJn- 


102 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


der  onr  present  denominational  method  we  pursue  some- 
thing like  the  following  course.  We  raise  the  hundred 
thousand  dollars  needed.  Then  we  divide  ourselves  up 
into  little  groups,  build  up  a  multitude  of  little  organi- 
zations, and  raise  another  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
We  then  give  the  money  to  these  organizations,  and  set 
them  at  work  to  draw  away  members  from  each  other, 
and  in  a  variety  of  ways  to  retard  and  interfere  with 
each  other  in  the  work  which  gi*eat  efforts  are  made  to 
perform.  That  this  interference  may  be  made  even  more 
effective,  we  raise  a  third  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
employ  more  men,  and  then  consider  that  God  ought 
to  bless  us  in  our  labors,  and  reward  our  zeal  by  help- 
ing us  to  eat  up  some  of  the  other  denominational  or- 
ganizations. This  seems  very  much  like  engaging  a 
skilled  workman  to  perform  a  piece  of  work,  suppos(» 
it  be  to  gi'ade  a  road.  No  sooner  does  be  set  out  on 
his  undertaking  than  we  engage  a  second  man  and  send 
him  out  to  grade  the  same  road  under  slightly  differing 
specifications.  We  expect  him  to  use  practically  the 
same  material  for  his  work  as  the  first  man.  In  our  re- 
ligious endeavors  we  send  out  one  man  to  perform  work, 
then  send  two  after  him  to  hinder  him  in  his  efforts  and 
undo  his  work.  It  is  true  that  some  of  the  men  who 
hinder  may  be  cheaper  men,  but  they  are  able  to  do 
the  damage.  Suppose  a  banker  of  experience,  after 
having  made  a  success  of  his  business  in  a  lai'ge  town, 
should  propose  to  establish  a  string  of  banks  through 
the  county.  He  sends  out  suitable  men,  and  opens  a 
bank  in  every  favorable  community.  The  scheme  is  a 
success.  He  decides  to  establi.sh  more  banks.  He  finds 
and  sends  out  other  men  to  the  same  communities  and 
villages.  He  puts  two,  three,  and  even  four  banks  in 
the  same  little  village,  where  already  he  had  opened  a 
hank.  He  reasons  that  the  difference  in  personality  of 
different  men,  and  their  different  modes  of  doing  busi- 
ness, will  reach  all  possible  classes  in  the  connnmiit.y. 
This,  surely,  he  reasons,  will  augment  his  profits.  Rusi- 
ness  goes  on  all  over  tlie  county.    He  has  established  a 


THE  WASTE  OF  DENOMINATIONALTSM  103 


bittor  compotition  with  himself  overywhore.  By  his 
multitude  of  little  organizations  he  has  so  increased  the 
expense  of  doing  business,  that  in  only  one  or  two  of  the 
principal  towns  can  his  banks  pay  expenses.  These  must 
send  help  to  the  others.  Should  any  man  attempt  such 
a  system  of  banking  his  relatives  would  apply  to  the 
court  that  a  guardian  might  be  appointed  to  prevent 
his  squandering  his  property.  In  any  reasonable  court 
tlie  request  would  be  granted  without  delay.  But 
this  is  very  nearly  the  method  pursued  by  the  Chris- 
tian Church.  In  nearly  every  communitj^  Protestant 
Churches  are  practically  working  in  this  manner.  Our 
denominational  spirit,  which  first  broke  the  church  into 
fragments,  places  us  in  such  competition  with  ourselves 
that  the  work  becomes  two  and  three  times  as  expensive 
as  it  need  be  dividing  its  effectiveness  in  half.  If  re- 
sults at  all  commensurate  with  the  efforts  put  forth  were 
secured  there  would  be  little  occasion  for  complaint. 
When  we  could  cut  down  our  expenses  at  least  sixty 
per  cent,  and  by  so  doing  increase  our  efficiency  fifty 
per  cent,  possibly  one  hundred  per  cent,  to  continue  in 
our  present  course  seems  little  short  of  madness. 

This  waste  is  not  alone  in  money  and  preachers.  We 
have  a  little  town  of  two  thousand  people  with  six  or 
eight  churches.  Under  such  conditions  there  is  an  ap- 
palling waste  of  local  talent.  To  illustrate  take  the 
waste  in  musical  talent.  Were  there  in  such  a  com- 
munity a  single  church,  there  is  in  the  town  sufficient 
musical  ability  to  make  a  splendid  choir,  able  to  render 
first-class  music.  Such  a  condition  would  powerfully 
strengthen  the  religious  and  devotional  spirit  in  the 
community.  A  single  church  could  have  a  good  pipe 
organ,  and  make  the  music  a  feature  of  strength  and 
dignity.  Under  the  present  system  it  is  necessary  that 
there  should  be  five  or  six  choirs,  in  each  of  which  there 
may  be  one  or  two  or  three  really  good  voices.  The  rest 
are  simply  .such  as  ran  be  obtained.  Instead  of  one  fine 
pipe  organ,  and  well  played,  we  have  five  or  six  little 
wheezy  cabinet  organs,  handh>(l  by  inexi)erienced  musi- 


104 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


eians.  The  organists  have  no  incentive  to  improve 
themselves,  and  the  music  is  a  difficult,  discouraging 
feature  of  the  church  services.  If  there  were  a  single 
church  there  would  be  one  splendid  Sunday  School, 
with  the  best  man  in  the  town  at  its  head,  and  an  able, 
efficient  corps  of  teachers.  But  with  this  work  divided 
into  six  or  eight  groups  the  enthusiasm  coming  from 
numbers  is  lost.  With  such  a  division  of  the  forces 
most  of  the  Schools  must  be  under  the  leadership  of 
persons  of  inadequate  ability.  Among  the  teachers,  the 
majority  must  be  persons  but  poorly  equipped  for  the 
work.  Besides  this  there  is  in  most  of  the  schools, 
ever  staring  the  officers  in  the  face,  a  threatened  de- 
ficiency on  the  financial  side.  The  tendency  is  to  seek 
the  cheapest  kind  of  equipment  obtainable.  It  therefore 
comes  about  that  in  communities  where  the  church 
might  be  strong,  commanding  the  respect  and  confidence 
of  all,  she  is  weak  and  moves,  if  she  move  at  all,  with 
an  uncertain,  tottering  step.  Outsiders  often  look  upon 
tliese  organizations  and  question  whether  they  will  be 
able  long  to  maintain  themselves.  With  the  religious 
forces  of  a  community  divided  and  subdivided  in  such  a 
manner,  the  cause  of  religion  is  of  necessity  rendered 
weak.  The  religious  iufiuenee  of  the  community,  being 
divided,  is  diminished.  Instead  of  the  Christian  ele- 
ment in  the  town,  taking  a  strong  and  commanding  posi- 
tion, aggressive,  victorious,  the  outside  world  gains  the 
impression  that  the  churches  are  poor,  weak,  strug- 
gling organizations,  able  at  the  best  to  maintain  but  a 
precarious  existence.  In  the  county  seat  of  5,000,  with 
nine  Protestant  Churches,  suppose  during  the  year  they 
receive  on  an  average  of  ten  new  members  each.  The 
increase  is  so  small  as  to  seem  insignificant.  But  were 
tliere  only  two  organizations,  and  the  same  number  had 
lieen  received,  it  would  give  forty-five  new  members  to 
each  organization,  and  the  work  would  have  the  ap- 
pearance of  prosperity.  Every  one  would  feel  the  en- 
couragement derived  from  progress.  The  members  of 
the  church,  under  .such  conditions,  would  be  inspirited. 


THE  WASTE  OF  DENOMTNATIONALISM  105 


As  it  is  the  apparent  gain  is  so  small,  that  it  seems  little 
better  than  barely  holding  their  own. 

We  divide  and  subdivide  our  organizations,  we  sepa- 
rate our  workers  into  little  groups,  having  no  real  affili- 
ation, reducing  the  efficiency  not  alone  of  the  clergy,  but 
of  every  working  element  in  the  congregation.  The  sad- 
dest thing  about  this,  we  do  it  in  the  name  of  Christ. 
We  boldly  make  the  claim  that  we  are  maintaining  the 
Go.spe),  and  laboring  for  the  advancement  of  the  King- 
dom of  God.  Strange  that  the  church  of  our  Lord 
should  employ  such  economy.  It  is  indeed  doubtful  if 
anywhere  in  all  the  world,  even  among  the  most  uncivi- 
lized and  barbarous  tribes,  there  can  be  fo\ind  any  proc- 
ess of  waste  in  serious  work,  which  will  bear  comparison 
with  this  univer.sally  practiced  by  the  Protestant 
Church.  We  take  the  money  which  has  been  gathered 
by  liard  work  to  be  used  for  the  advancement  of  the 
kingdom  of  our  Lord,  and  waste,  worse  than  waste  it, 
as  though  we  were  under  no  obligation  as  the  stewards 
of  tlie  mysteries  of  God.  We  take  the  host  of  men  wlio 
have  devoted  many  years,  and  thousands  of  dollars  in 
preparation  for  the  sacred  work  of  the  Gospel  ministry, 
and  put  them  under  conditions  which  must  minimise 
their  influence.  We  place  a  man  in  a  congregation  of 
fifty,  when  if  he  were  the  only  pastor  in  the  community 
he  would  minister  to  two  hundred,  and  not  be  embar- 
rassed by  two  or  three  other  men  struggling  in  compe- 
tition with  him.  It  costs  just  as  much  time,  money  and 
efl'ort  to  educate  this  man  for  this  work,  as  though  he 
would  be  the  only  man  in  the  place,  and  were  given  a 
free  hand.  After  he  commences  his  work  he  Tiiust  make 
the  same  preparation  for  the  pulpit  to  preach  to  fifty 
that  would  be  required  to  preach  to  two  hundred.  He 
must  do  this  on  a  salary  so  pinched  that  he  is  forced  to 
work  without  the  stimulus  of  a  library,  or  such  tools 
as  successful  work  retiuires.  Then  instead  of  giving  to 
the  ministry  the  inspiration  of  addressing  large  congre- 
gations, we  take  away  the  inspiration  and  iiH^n-asc;  tlieir 
dilTiculties  by  dividing  the  congnigation  into  fragments. 


106 


THE  DIVIDED  HOTTSE 


How  can  men  do  their  best  under  snch  conditions? 
There  is  a  worse  than  a  needless  waste  of  energy  in  all 
this.  It  is  certain  that  some  one  must  bear  the  responsi- 
bility for  such  a  condition. 

There  is  a  mass  of  energy  and  manhood  in  the 
church  which  has  almost  unlimited  possibilities.  The 
members  of  the  church  have  accumulated  untold  mil- 
lions of  money.  The  whole  world  looks  at  the  benevo- 
lence of  Christian  people  in  astonishment.  Men  are 
ready  to  devote  fabulous  sums  of  money  to  the  cause  of 
Christianity.  We,  the  Christian  community,  with  the 
leaders  in  the  church,  take  this  vast  sum  of  money  and 
in  our  manner  of  expending  it  caixse  that  at  least  fifty 
per  cent  of  it  actually  retards  the  progress  of  the  King- 
dom of  God. 

While  pondering  over  these  things,  amazed  at  what  I 
saw,  there  came  a  vision.  I  thought  I  fell  asleep,  and 
as  I  slept  dreamed  a  dream.  I  thought  I  was  trans- 
ported to  the  world  of  spirit,  and  there  saw  assembled 
in  the  great  council  chamber  of  Hell,  in  the  presence  of 
the  arch  fiend,  Satan,  all  the  devils  in  the  region  of 
darkness.  Satan  was  upon  the  throne.  In  addressing  his 
vassals,  he  expressed  rage  at  the  great  loss  suffered  in 
certain  portions  of  his  domain.  He  was  startled.  Some- 
thing must  be  done.  He  declared  that  unless  some  move 
could  speedily  be  made  which  would  turn  the  fortunes 
of  the  day  the  forces  under  him  would  be  driven  from 
the  field.  There  must  be  renewed  effort  lest  righteous- 
ness should  reign  in  the  world.  He  had  called  in  all  his 
subjects,  from  all  regions  in  a  great  council,  in  the  hope 
that  they  might  discover  some  method  by  which  their 
former  dominion  might  be  regained.  After  a  long,  por- 
tentous pause,  devil  after  devil  arose  and  suggested 
some  one  thing,  some  another,  and  thus  a  long  time 
passed,  and  no  progress  had  been  made.  As  there 
seemed  no  help,  Satan  was  about  to  adjourn  the  assem- 
bly in  d(>spair,  when  over  in  one  of  the  back  rows  of 
seats,  biOiind  a  i)illar,  there  arose  an  old  demon,  with 
shrewd  cunning  and  unprincipled  knavery  stamped 


THE  WASTE  OF  DENOMINATIONALISM  107 


upon  every  feature,  and  asked  permission  to  present  a 
scheme,  which  to  him  seemed  to  promise  hope.  Speak- 
ing deliberately,  he  proposed  that  the  entire  company 
of  demons  return  to  earth,  and  instead  of  trying  to  op- 
pose the  advance  movement  of  the  church,  or  attempt- 
ing to  draw  the  great  mass  of  Christians  away  from 
Christ,  instead  of  seeking  to  induce  Christians  to  deny 
Christ,  or  to  commit  some  sin,  that  they  enter  the 
church,  and  join  with  the  members  of  the  church  in 
their  work.  Labor  diligently  to  fire  every  Christian 
with  a  burning  zeal.  Stir  up  among  the  Christians 
greater  enthusiasm  for  the  Word  of  God,  and  for  Christ 
and  His  truth.  Urge  men  to  fly  to  their  work  with  a 
holier  zeal.  Make  sure  that  all  are  filled  with  earnest- 
ness. When  this  is  accomplished  raise  some  question 
about  methods,  not  necessarily  a  very  important  one, 
lead  some  to  give  larger  emphasis  to  some  doctrine,  and 
to  burn  with  zeal.  Touch  no  great  fundamental  doc- 
trine, but  raise  questions  about  matters  of  little  im- 
portance, so  that  no  one  will  be  shocked,  or  suspect  the 
source  of  the  difference.  Continue  to  fan  the  enthusi- 
asm, and  to  stir  the  zeal,  and  all  in  the  name  of  a  more 
spiritual,  purer  religion.  Lead  men  to  become  very  con- 
scientious. Under  such  conditions  discussion  must  fol- 
low, interest  increase,  until  differences  shall  arise,  di- 
visions come  about,  and  the  powerful  church  will  break 
up,  and  one  part  will  stultify  another.  As  the  church 
breaks  up  into  fragments,  each  fragment  will  zealously 
strive  to  propagate  its  own  notion,  and  the  great  hosts 
of  Christianity  will  form  hostile  camps,  and  fall  upon 
each  other  in  deadly  conflict.  The  one  church  of  Christ 
will  become  himdreds  of  smaller  churches,  and  they 
will  fight  among  themselves.  If  we  can  but  accomplish 
this,  exclaims  tlie  old  devil  in  fiendish  glee,  we  will  in- 
duce them  to  waste  their  energies,  spend  their  money, 
and  to  wear  themselves  out,  under  the  delusion  that  they 
are  serving  their  Master,  while  they  arc  destroying  each 
the  other's  work.  In  this  way  the  church  will  be  .shorn 
of  her  power,  her  energies  will  be  wasted,  her  resources 


108 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


dissipated,  and  thou,  0  Satan,  shall  reign  with  undis- 
puted power  over  the  hearts  of  men.  The  old  devil  com- 
pleted his  speech,  and  as  he  sat  down  amid  the  yells  of 
delif^ht  the  great  host  rose  to  its  feet  and  pandemonium 
rang  with  hellish  glee  over  the  cunning  scheme  which 
had  been  proposed.  The  plan  was  at  once  adopted  with 
shouts  of  anticipated  triumph,  each  hastening  his  way 
to  perform  his  assigned  part  in  the  great  tragedy. — 
Here  I  awoke  from  my  sleep,  and  as  I  looked  out  over 
the  church,  and  saw  what  to-day  she  is  doing,  wasting 
her  strength,  throwing  away  her  resources,  counteract- 
ing her  influence,  my  soul  grew  sad,  for  it  seemed  evi- 
dent that  the  vision  was  not  all  a  dream.  It,  too,  fully 
accounted  for  the  strange  spectacle  of  modern  denomi- 
nationalism. 


CHAPTER  VII 


THE  VAINGLORY  OP  DENOMINATIONALISM 

IT  is  sometimes  urged  in  favor  of  our  present  denomi- 
•*  nationalism  that  it  introduces  a  kind  of  rivalry  be- 
tween the  churches  of  a  community  which  serves  as  a 
healthful  stimulus.  We  are  told  that,  like  competition 
in  trade,  competition  among  churches  serves  to  keep 
them  alert  and  active.  There  is  in  this  claim  more  of 
truth  than  at  first  appears.  To  illustrate  let  us  take 
a  little  farming  community,  in  the  midst  of  which  is  a 
small  village.  There  are  a  railway  station,  a  post-office, 
two  or  three  stores  with  a  population  of  about  three 
hundred.  In  this  place  are  three  churches,  a  Methodist, 
United  Brethren  and  a  Presbyterian.  Each,  under  the 
conditions,  has  a  hard  struggle  for  existence.  The  lead- 
ing man  of  the  community,  in  the  prime  of  life,  the 
owner  of  the  principal  store,  has  made  a  small  foi"- 
tune.  Having  reached  the  limit  of  development  in  his 
present  location,  he  looks  about  for  a  buyer,  that  he  may 
move  to  the  county  seat,  where  there  is  a  larger  field. 
A  purchaser,  an  energetic  man,  who  has  been  successful 
in  a  still  smaller  field,  soon  appears.  Having  some  cap- 
ital, he  buys  the  store  and  stock  of  goods.  He  also  pur- 
chases the  dwelling  house  in  which  his  predecessor  had 
lived.  It  is  evident  to  all  in  the  community  that  this 
man  must  have  some  wealth,  and  that  he  is  a  man  of 
ability.  It  is  evident  that  in  his  position,  living  in  one 
of  the  finest  homos  in  the  place,  that  his  family  is  des- 
tined to  occupy  a  leading  place  in  the  social  life  of  the 
conunnnity.  It  is  learned  that  whore  he  had  previously 
lived  family  was  active  in  the  llnilod  nrothreii 

Church,  and  the  adults  were  members.    The  man  was 

109 


110 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


the  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School.  The  wife, 
a  good  sensible  woman,  had  been  active  in  the  ladies' 
organizations.  The  oldest  daughter,  a  young  lady  of 
nineteen,  had  attended  for  a  couple  of  years  a  near-by 
college,  and  was  a  musician  of  recognized  ability.  There 
were  three  other  children,  two  boys  respectively,  sixteen 
and  eight,  and  another  daughter  of  six.  About  two 
weeks  before  his  family  moved  the  husband  and  father 
came  to  the  village  and  took  charge  of  the  store.  He 
had  some  slight  repairs  and  changes  made  on  the  house, 
getting  it  ready  for  occupancy.  The  United  Brethren 
pastor,  a  young,  ambitious  preacher,  forseeing  the 
struggle  which  must  soon  take  place,  with  a  feeling  of 
confidence  due  to  the  advantage  which  he  felt  he  had 
in  this  case  over  the  others,  opened  the  fight  at  once,  and 
was  a  frequent  caller  at  the  store.  He  discussed  busi- 
ness, religion,  and  especially  the  cause  of  the  church. 
While  the  man  was  rather  too  non-committal,  still  he 
felt  greatly  encouraged.  Sabbath  came  and  he  was 
gratified  to  see  the  newcomer  at  the  services  in  his 
church,  both  morning  and  evening.  At  once  he  took 
steps  to  commit  the  man  to  his  church,  where  he  rea- 
soned he  naturally  belonged.  Early  the  following  week 
he  learned  that  while  the  man  had  been  a  member  of 
the  United  Brethren  Church  in  the  last  place  where 
he  had  lived,  as  this  was  the  only  church  there,  there 
was  some  doubt  as  to  which  church  he  would  join  in  his 
new  home.  Before  her  marriage  his  wife  had  been  a 
Methodist.  His  daughter  had  attended  a  Presbyterian 
college  for  two  years  and  had  returned  home  a  pro- 
nounced Presbyterian.  He  was  unwilling,  so  he  told 
the  United  Brethren  pastor,  that  his  family  should  be 
divided.  He  could  be  at  homo  in  either  of  the  three 
churches.  He  would  wait  until  his  family  might  come 
and  then  they  would  decide  where  they  would  go.  It  be- 
came more  and  more  evident  that  the  church  which 
should  be  so  fortunate  as  to  secure  this  family  would 
receive  a  very  i)ronounced  advantage  over  the  other 
two.   The  coming  of  this  family  and  the  possible  church 


VAINGLORY  OF  DENOMINATIONALISM  111 


connection  which  they  might  make  was  one  of  the  most 
important  events  which  had  taken  place  in  the  town  for 
many  years.  The  three  pastors  became  fully  alive  to  the 
importance  of  leaving  nothing  undone  which  could  se- 
cure this  advantage.  The  members  of  the  church  dis- 
cussed the  possibilities  and  even  the  few  outsiders  be- 
came interested  as  they  watched  the  situation. 

At  last  the  great  day,  when  the  family  should  come 
to  town  arrived.  It  so  happened  that  the  house  which 
the  merchant  had  purchased  was  near  the  Methodist 
parsonage,  next  door,  and  only  the  second  building  from 
the  church.  It  was  recognized  by  all  that  this  gave  the 
Methodists  some  slight  advantage.  Two  large  loads  of 
goods  stopped  in  front  of  the  house.  A  little  later  the 
family  carriage  drove  up,  and  the  merchant  and  his  fam- 
ily alighted.  Being  the  last  week  in  April,  and  the 
house  having  been  vacant  for  several  weeks,  it  was  con- 
sequently cold  and  damp.  It  was  not  a  suitable  place 
for  the  family  to  spend  the  night.  The  Methodist  pas- 
tor and  his  wife  hastened  to  the  rescue.  It  was  the 
easiest  thing  in  the  world  for  them  to  come  right  over 
to  the  parsonage  and  remain  until  they  could  have  time 
to  get  settled  in  their  new  home.  It  was  so  convenient 
for  them,  and  it  would  be  no  inconvenience  to  the  pastor 
and  his  wife.  Really  they  would  so  enjoy  having  their 
new  neighbors  live  with  them  a  few  days,  that  they 
niiglit  become  acquainted.  While  they  were  discussing 
the  question,  who  should  happen  along  but  the  wife  of 
one  of  the  Elders  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Slie  saw 
the  commotion  and  the  Methodist  minister  and  his  wife, 
and  at  a  glance  took  in  the  situation.  She  lived  a  few 
houses  farther  up  the  street.  As  she  approached  them, 
slie  paused,  and  finally  stopped,  and  while  no  one  intro- 
duced her,  .she  made  her.sclf  known  and  proffered  any 
assistance  she  was  able  to  give.  Her  home  was  much 
larger  than  the  parsonage,  and  her  family  was  not  so 
large  as  the  family  of  Ihe  Methodist  minister,  and  noth- 
ing would  please  her  more  than  to  have  thorn  all  just 
come  right  over  to  her  house.    Her  husband,  who  hud 


112 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


known  the  gentloman  for  sonic  time  in  a  l)nsiness  way, 
would  be  disappointed  if  they  did  not  eonie.  He  had 
spoken  of  entertaining:  his  old  fi-icnd  while  he  was  mov- 
ing in,  only  a  day  or  two  before.  She  nrged  that  they 
come  immediately  and  make  her  house  their  home  for  a 
week  or  ten  days,  thus  having  time  to  get  settled  leisurely 
and  completely  before  they  commenced  living  in  the 
house.  It  was  at  this  point  that  the  United  Brethren 
pastor,  who  had  been  out  calling  on  a  sick  parishioner, 
was  returning  home  and  had  come  around  this  way  on 
pur])ose  to  see  if  there  were  any  signs  of  the  family's 
arrival.  As  he  knew  the  merchant  so  well,  as  the  entire 
family  had  been  connected  with  the  United  Brethren 
Church  where  they  had  lived,  and  their  pastor  there 
had  dropped  him  a  line  asking  him  to  call  at  once  and 
show  such  courtesies  as  he  could,  of  course  he  offered 
his  services.  His  greeting  of  all  was  very  cordial,  but 
seeing  the  situation  he  soon  passed  on.  It  was  a  season 
of  great  anxiety  to  the  entire  community.  Where  would 
they  go?  It  was  finally  settled  that  the  wife  and  little 
girl  would  go  to  her  husband 's  room,  where  he  had  lived 
since  his  coming  to  town,  and  where  already  he  had  ar- 
ranged for  them.  The  Methodist  pastor  had  a  son  about 
the  age  of  the  younger  boy,  and  the  two  boys  would  stop 
there.  The  older  daughter  accepted  the  invitation  of 
the  Elder's  wife.  The  pastor  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church  went  home  with  a  heavy  heart.  He  recognized 
that  in  the  first  round  he  had  lost  an  important  point. 
His  little  church  needed  just  such  a  family.  By  right 
he  should  have  the  family.  If  he  could  get  just  this 
family,  his  church,  which  was  the  weakest  church  in 
town,  at  once  would  become  strong,  and  very  soon  it 
could  not  help,  with  such  an  influential  addition,  be- 
coming the  most  powerful  church  in  the  community. 
He  had  been  hoping  from  the  time  that  Mr.  A.  bought 
that  store  for  a  gieat  uplift.  It  not  only  meant  a  great 
help  to  his  church,  but  it  would  give  him  such  standing 
in  Conference  that  his  next  a]ipointment  could  not  fail 
to  bo  much  better,  possibly  one  of  the  best  iu  the  Con- 


VAINGLORY  OF  DENOMINATIONALISM  113 


fereuee.  With  him  great  things  were  at  stake.  He  must 
win.  At  the  supper  table  he  had  a  coufereuec  with 
liis  wife,  who  never  failed  hitn.  It  was  a  regular  coun- 
cil of  war.  First  they  discussed  the  situation,  making 
some  rather  positive  remarks  concerning  the  other  pas- 
tors, and  their  people,  and  expressing  rather  positive 
opinions  on  the  general  subject  of  proselyting.  The  in- 
terest in  this  ease  came  dangerously  near  to  warmth  of 
feeling,  but  it  was  no  time  to  indulge  in  such  things, 
it  was  a  time  for  action.  Before  supper  was  over  a 
course  had  been  hit  upon,  and  the  wife  at  once  went  out 
and  called  on  four  or  five  of  their  most  active  women, 
and  explained  the  situation.  They  at  once  got  together, 
and  that  very  evening  a  plan  of  campaign  was  fixed 
upon.  The  new  family  was  to  be  besieged  by  the  lead- 
ing women  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  so  arranged 
that  no  two  should  be  there  at  the  same  time.  It  was 
also  planned  in  such  a  way  that  there  should  not  be  too 
great  an  interval  between  calls.  This  started  on  Tues- 
day noon  and  continued  until  Saturday  night.  During 
this  time  the  wife  had  promised  that  she  and  her  hus- 
band would  attend  the  United  Brethren  Chiirch  on  Sun- 
day morning.  Sunday  morning  came,  and  the  entire 
family  was  at  the  United  Brethren  Church.  They  had 
scored  a  real  victory,  and  the  fact  Was  recognized  by 
the  other  churches  and  by  the  outsiders  as  well.  The 
reception  which  they  received  was  scarcely  less  than  a 
genuine  ovation.  It  could  not  fail  to  gratify  the  most 
ambitious.  The  children  were  all  placed  in  classes  in 
the  Sunday  School,  and  despite  their  assertion  that  they 
wi.shcd  to  be  considered  only  as  visitors,  they  were  all 
enrolled  as  members  of  the  classes.  The  father  was 
asked  to  teach  a  class  of  ladies,  which  was  without  a 
teacher.  At  the  close  of  the  school  they  all  gathered 
about  him,  full  of  enthusiasm ;  he  was  such  a  lovely 
teacher,  he  nuist  consejit  to  become  their  regular  teacher. 
They  had  been  so  long  without  a  leader,  he  Wfus  ju.st 
the  one  they  needed.  He  inust  take  the  class  perma- 
nently.   The  mother  was  taken  into  the  infant  depart- 


114 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


ment  to  see  how  the  pastor's  wife  managed  the  little 
ones.  Before  the  school  closed  the  superintendent  an- 
nounced that  he  wanted  to  introduce  Mr.  A.,  who  had 
been  the  very  successful  superintendent  of  the  United 
Brethren  School  at  X,  and  although  he  had  not  said 
anything  to  him  about  doing  so  he  was  going  to  ask 
him  to  say  a  few  words  to  the  school.  "Mr.  A.,  we  arc 
so  delighted  to  have  you  and  your  family  with  iis,  and 
feel  sure  that  you  will  be  a  very  great  addition  to  our 
School." 

Every  one  Sunday  afternoon  was  forced  to  admit  that 
the  United  Brethren  people  were  far  ahead  in  the  con- 
test. They  had  outgeneraled  completely  their  competi- 
tors. It  looked  as  though  they  were  about  to  score  a 
most  decided  victory.  That  evening  the  father  and 
mother  attended  the  ]\Iethodist  Church,  while  the  older 
daughter  and  son  went  to  the  Presbyterian.  This  gave 
hope  both  to  the  Methodists  and  Presb.>i:erians,  and 
served  to  double  the  efforts  of  the  United  Brethren  peo- 
ple. The  healthful  competition  was  thus  stimulated 
still  more.  For  four  or  five  weeks  the  struggle  contin- 
ued, much  to  the  detriment  of  all  the  churches.  There 
remained  a  degree  of  uncertainty  to  the  last.  Finally 
the  family  brought  their  letters  and  united  with  the 
I'l'esbyterian  Church.  This  created  no  little  flurry  in 
religious  circles,  while  on  the  outside  all  was  tranquil, 
l)eneath  there  was  disappointment  and  bitterness.  The 
United  Brethren  Pastor's  wife,  who  had  struggled  so 
hard,  and  who  saw  so  much  for  her  husband's  future 
depending  upon  the  outcome,  was  bitterly  disappointed 
and  was  heard  to  make  some  remark  to  the  effect  that 
they  went  to  the  Presbyterian  Church  because  the 
"Presbyterians  were  so  high-toned  and  put  on  airs." 
Three  or  four  of  the  leading  families  of  the  town  at- 
tended this  church.  An  old  Methodist  woman  said  that 
they  went  to  the  Presbyterian  Church  "because  it  was 
so  cold  and  formal,  and  they  lacked  spirituality."  Be- 
cause of  their  want  of  "fervor  and  spiritual  warmth 
they  were  unable  to  appreciate  the  real  live  Christian- 


VAINGLORY  OF  DENOMINATIONALISM  115 


ity  of  the  Methodist  Church."  The  fact  is  that  it  was 
the  older  daughter  who  settled  the  question.  She  had 
been  for  a  time  in  a  Presbyterian  college,  and  while  not 
a  member  of  the  church,  she  had  become  accustomed  to 
the  mode  of  worship  of  this  church  and  declared  that 
she  was  "a  Presbyterian"  and  could  not  "feel  at  home 
in  either  of  the  other  churches."  This  was  her  first 
opportunity  to  unite  with  the  church  of  her  choice  and 
she  was  unwilling  to  let  it  slip.  So  they  all  entered  this 
church. 

This  illustrates  excellently  well  the  kind  of  healthful 
spiritual  stimulus  engendered  by  denominationalism. 
The  struggle  in  this  little  church-burdened  community 
is  typical  in  kind  of  the  struggle  taking  place  in  every 
town  where  there  are  two  or  more  churches.  Every 
possible  method  which  the  ingenuity  of  man  can  invent 
to  land  safely  a  new  family,  which  moves  into  a  town 
in  a  church,  is  tried.  Ladies  call  on  the  family,  men 
call  at  the  place  of  business  to  greet  the  newcomer,  the 
children  go  to  play  with  the  children  just  come  to  town, 
the  wife  is  invited  to  social  functions,  and  to  various 
gatherings  of  the  ladies  of  the  various  congregations, 
where  she  is  expected  to  become  acquainted  and  form 
social  bonds  which  may  serve  to  determine  her  to  join 
the  particular  chiirch.  Sunday  morning  children  are 
sent  around  to  bring  the  strange  children  to  Sunday 
School,  and  even  after  it  is  settled  which  place  they  will 
attend  the  children  of  the  various  schools  seek  to  per- 
suade the  children  to  leave  the  School  where  they  have 
started  and  to  "come  to  our  School."  Not  infrequently 
for  months  there  is  kept  up  this  kind  of  pitched  battle 
between  the  churches.  At  last,  sometimes  as  a  matter 
of  self-defence,  the  family  attaches  itself  to  one  of  tho 
churches.  This  mode  of  procedure  is  so  common  that 
families  moving  from  one  community  to  another  expect 
it.  The  element  which  does  not  go  to  church  anywhere, 
found  in  every  community,  watches  the  fight  wifh  in- 
creasing ititerest.  To  thciri  th(!  whole  ad'air  appears 
like  a  selfish  s(iuabble  to  inveigle  this  new  family  into 


116 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


one  of  the  ehiirehes.  Remarks  like  this,  "until  this 
family  is  settled,  sinners  will  be  given  a  rest,"  are  not 
unfrequently  heard.  The  statement  is  not  so  far  from 
the  truth.  The  struggle  not  only  stirs  up  the  least  spir- 
itually minded  in  the  church  and  congregation,  but 
moves  the  best  men  and  vv^omen,  even  the  pastor,  with 
emotions  and  desires  far  from  devout.  The  organiza- 
tion winning  cannot  help  feeling  a  conscious  elation  of 
questionable  character,  while  the  losing  churches  ex- 
perience a  depression  and  a  feeling  dangerously  near  to 
downright  jealousy. 

But  this  so-called  healthful  spiritual  rivalry  not  only 
manifests  itself  upon  the  occasion  of  a  new  family 's  com- 
ing to  town,  but  it  is  a  constant  feature  of  church 
work.  Always,  year  in  and  year  out,  this  rivalry  is 
hard  at  work.  Let  us  speak  of  a  little  town  of  about 
1,800  population.  There  are  six  Protestant  Churches 
and  a  strong  Roman  Catholic  Church.  In  one  of  the 
churches  a  pastor,  who  had  been  for  some  time  with 
his  people,  came  into  conflict  with  certain  members  of 
the  congregation.  Being  a  strong-willed  man  he  could 
see  only  the  course  which  he  had  laid  out,  and  conse- 
quently it  was  the  religious  duty  of  all  to  follow  it. 
The  difference  grew  into  a  controversy,  and  waxed 
stronger.  The  church  was  involved  in  a  most  unneces- 
sary and  unfortunate  quarrel.  The  congregation,  at 
first  disturbed  in  its  work  was  finally  divided  into  three 
parties.  One  party,  and  the  one  which  carried  most 
weight  in  the  community,  believed  that  under  the  Gon- 
dii ions  the  peace  of  th(!  churcli  demanded  a  change  in 
tlie  pastorate,  and  proi)ased  such  a  course.  Another 
party,  under  the  direction  and  control  of  the  pastor, 
Tnaintained  that  the  pastor  had  done  only  his  duty,  and 
they  did  not  believe  that  a  church-clique  had  any  right 
to  control  a  church,  and  that  Mr.  Z.  should  be  con- 
demned and  put  out  of  the  church  and  his  party  sup- 
])ressed.  It  was  better  1o  let  Mr.  Z.  and  his  friends 
leave  Ihe  elnirch  than  to  lose  Hie  pastor.  These  per- 
sons had  for  a  long  time  been  disturbing  factors  in  the 


VAINGLORY  OF  DENOMINATION ALISM  117 


lil'o  of  thfi  church,  and  it  was  a  good  time  to  permit 
them  to  depart.  The  third  party  was  composed  of  those 
who  were  very  auxious  to  restore  peace,  and  thought 
some  kind  of  a  compromise  might  lead  to  this  end.  They 
wished  to  keep  on  good  terms  with  both  the  contend- 
ing parties.  They  tried  to  appease  both  sides,  and  to 
secure  peace.  Despite  all  efforts  to  the  contrary  the 
fight  increased  in  bitterness.  The  other  churches  of  the 
town  became  interested  and  looked  on  with  fraternal 
solicitude.  The  contending  church  was  the  wealthiest 
and  most  influential  in  town,  and  the  parties  involved 
were  the  leaders  in  the  church.  Whatever  disaster  came 
to  this  organization  the  others  could  not  help  profiting 
by  it.  At  last,  as  was  necessary,  a  crisis  came.  Mr.  Z. 
with  three  or  four  sympathizing  families  demanded  let- 
ters of  dismission ;  leaving  the  church  they  went  to  one 
of  the  others,  where  they  were  most  cordially  welcomed. 
The  pastors  of  the  various  churches  were  guarded  in 
their  remarks,  for  they  knew  the  possibilities  of  a  sjjlit, 
and  if  it  did  come  each  desired  that  his  church  7uight 
be  in  a  position  to  receive  some  of  the  wreckage.  The 
result  was  that  the  pastor  left,  and  behind  was  what 
appeared  like  a  hopeless  split.  Some  of  the  members 
went  to  one  churcli,  while  others  went  to  another,  leav- 
iiig  only  the  nucleus  of  the  former  congregation.  With 
dirfieully  this  little  handful  sought  to  gather  their  re- 
sources and  prepare  for  a  new  start.  Many  fainilies 
not  feeling  in  sympathy  with  the  situation  commenced 
to  attend  ofher  churches.  The  different  pastors  and 
their  people,  as  best  they  could,  sought  to  interest  these 
dissatisfied  persons.  They  employed  every  means  to 
lead  some  of  them  to  identify  themselves  with  th(!ir  own 
congregations.  The  members  of  the  various  churches 
were  most  diligent  in  atfenfions.  Arrangements  were 
made  so  that  the  pastors  might  meet  the  disaffected 
parties,  and  there  was  a  season  of  quiet  but  eon.st^nt 
activity  in  the  religious  circles  of  the  town.  This  situ- 
ation continued,  soiiietiiiies  in  i\  more,  aggravated  condi- 
tion, then  ((iiieling  down  niatt(!rs  would  proccied  more 


118 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


s^Tloothl3^  The  disturbed  congregation  tried  a  change  of 
pastors,  and  tliis  was  repeated  several  times,  but  each, 
after  a  brief  trial,  was  willing  to  withdraw.  A  few  years 
thus  passed.  At  last,  after  careful  search,  and  with  a  su- 
preme effort,  the  remnant  secured  a  man  sufficientlj' 
.strong  and  politic  to  heal  the  old  trouble.  Time  also 
did  its  work,  and  the  former  bitterness  became  less  in- 
tense. This  led  to  another  migration  from  church  to 
church.  ]\Ir.  Z.  and  his  friends,  who  had  gone  together 
to  one  of  the  weaker  churches,  and  had  become  the 
financial  and  social  life  of  the  organization,  began  occa- 
sionally to  appear  in  the  congregation  of  the  disrupted 
church.  In  a  few  months  they  returned.  There  were 
some  families  who  refused  to  return  and  take  their 
places  in  the  old  church,  but  nearly  all  who  had  gone 
away  in  the  heat  of  the  controversy  found  their  way 
back,  and  the  old  church  gradually  assumed  her  former 
position.  Mr.  W.,  who  had  been  most  zealous  in  the 
support  of  the  pastor,  refused  to  return.  He  threw 
himself  with  burning  zeal  into  the  work  of  his  adopted 
church,  and  sought  to  draw  and  hold  as  many  as  possi- 
ble of  those  who  had  gone  out  with  him.  He  discussed 
the  situation,  claiming  that  the  faction  which  had  driven 
away  the  pastor  was  still  in  control,  and  for  him  to  go 
back,  under  such  a  situation,  was  an  admission  that  the 
part  he  had  taken  was  wrong.  No,  he  could  never  sub- 
mit to  such  a  course.  He  sought  to  keep  alive  the  bit- 
terness which  had  originally  disrupted  the  organization. 

In  this  case,  which  actually  occurred,  and  the  parties 
are  known  to  the  writer  and  are  now  living,  we  have 
another  illustration  of  that  denominational  rivalry 
which  is  said  to  stimulate  a  healthful  competition. 

One  way  in  which  this  denominational  competition 
manifests  itself,  and  which  was  referred  to  in  a  pre- 
vious chapter,  is  found  in  connection  with  the  Sunday 
School.  Each  church  in  a  village  is  ambitious  to  have 
the  largest  and  most  effective  Sunday  Scliool.  It  has 
come  to  be  accepted  in  the  popular  mind  that  the 
church  is  dependent  upon  the  Sunday  School  as  the 


VAINGLORY  OF  DENOMINATIONALTSM  119 


source  of  her  growth.  Consequently  it  is  necessary  by 
all  possible  means  to  make  the  Sunday  School  grow. 
Competitive  efforts  of  various  kinds  between  the  de- 
partments and  classes  of  a  given  school  are  introduced. 
Prizes  are  offered.  The  boys  and  girls  of  the  school  go 
out  and  commence  their  work.  As  it  is  hard  to  per- 
suade persons  not  interested  in  the  Sunday  School  and 
who  seldom,  if  ever,  attend  to  go,  these  laborers  take 
the  shortest  and  quickest  way  to  secure  results.  They 
at  once  commence  lo  intercede  with  their  playmates,  urg- 
ing them  to  visit  their  school.  Sometimes  they  say, 
"Come  and  stay  long  enough  to  be  counted,  and  that 
will  help  our  class  to  win  the  prize."  A  few  weeks  of 
this  kind  of  spirited  competition  pass  and  there  has  been 
transferred  from  other  schools  to  this  one  a  score  or  two 
of  the  boys  and  girls  to  the  one  where  the  contest  is  in 
progress.  Week  by  week  the  attendance  is  published  in 
the  local  paper,  and  in  glaring  headline  the  prosperity 
of  this  school  is  heralded,  and  the  school  is  proclaimed 
as  the  most  up-to-date,  the  most  thoroughly  alive  or- 
ganization in  the  town,  or  possibly  the  county.  Every 
one  is  urged  to  come  out  and  see  how  a  real  live,  effec- 
tive organization  is  doing  its  work.  The  other  schools 
in  the  community  feel  the  depleting  influence  of  this 
kind  of  warfare.  Some  of  the  older  ones  look  into  the 
situation,  and  under  the  conviction  that  the  only  way 
in  which  to  meet  such  an  onslaught  is  to  emulate  the 
example  of  this  school  and,  if  possible,  to  avenge  itself. 
So  month  after  month,  year  after  year  this  kind  of 
"healthful  rivalry"  continues.  It  is  evident,  of  course, 
that  competition  stimulates  work,  rivalry  intensifies 
competition  and  we  have  a  sort  of  internecine  wflrfare 
among  the  Sunday  Schools  of  the  sister  churches  of  a 
community,  and  the  results  of  this  warfare  gives  us  our 
standai'd  of  prosperity.  Such  a  prosperity  on  the  part 
of  a  faction  of  the  church  of  Clirist  must  cause  the  ene- 
mies of  true  (Jhri.stianity  genuine  delight. 

Such  competition  among  the  different  organizations 
in  the  ehurcli  makes  its  influence  felt  in  the  organiza- 


120  THE  DIVIDED  nOTTSE  1 

tions  of  the  young  people.    In  every  eoramnnity  there  Ij 
are  certain  families  which  are  stahle,  and  it  is  known  j| 
that  they  and  their  young  people  will  be  loyal  to  their  )| 
churches.    In  these  days  it  is  found  that  most  of  the  i 
young  people  in  nearly  all  communities  are  left  to  fol-  | 
low  their  own  inclinations.    Some  of  these  become  in-  | 
terested  in  some  person  in  another  church.    Gradually  [ 
such  go  over  to  the  young  people's  organization  of  that  t 
church.    By  doing  this  friends  meet,  and  the  intimacy  I 
is  afforded  a  favorable  opportunity  of  continuance.  At 
first  the  young  man  goes  as  a  visitor,  later  is  invited  to 
lead  the  meeting,  and  his  success  is  complimented. 
Every  one  is  excessively  attentive,  his  vanity  is  appealed 
to  and  soon  he  becomes  a  member  of  this  organization. 
Soon  the  pastor  is  interested,  and  the  result  the  church 
membership  of  this  person  is  transferred.    In  some 
homes    families    have    been    divided    among  several 
churches.    It  is  not  at  all  impossible  to  find  families 
of  five  or  six  divided  between  four  different  churches. 
I  have  known  of  instances  where  the  father  attended 
one  church,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  the  mother 
another,  and  the  two  children  were  members  of  still  dif- 
ferent churches.    The  religious  life  of  that  household  is 
broken  into  fragments  for  no  better  reason  than  some 
accident  in  the  Sunday  School  or  the  Young  People's 
organizations.   Where  the  children  went  was  settled  by 
their  playmates. 

Every  pastor,  especially  in  a  town  or  small  city,  is 
made  to  feel  the  grinding  of  this  competitive  spirit  as 
is  here  set  forth.  It  is  not  difficult  to  analyze  this  kind 
of  competition  and  discover  the  effect  which  of  neces- 
sity it  has  upon  organizations.  This  is  the  healtliy 
rivalry  which  denominationalism  stimulates.  The 
weakness  of  many  of  our  church  organizations  is  such 
that  the  pastoi-  and  his  helpers,  whatever  they  may  wish 
to  do,  believe  themselves  forced  by  the  neeessitic^s  of 
the  situation  to  engage  in  these  most  distasteful  squab- 
bles. They  must  win  (^vcry  adlien>nt  possible,  for  the  I 
life  of  their  chureli  depends  upon  thi.s.    To  the  church-  i 


VAINGLORY  OP  DENOMTNATIONALISI\r  121 


member  success  in  this  kind  of  rivalry  is  the  possible 
liglitening  of  heavy  burdens.  To  fail  is  to  make  certain 
an  increase  of  burdens.  To  the  pastor  it  makes  surer 
the  reception  of  the  meagre  salary  promised  by  his  con- 
gregation. Not  infrequently  it  means  the  only  escape 
from  hopeless  debt.  It  is  like  a  man  carried  down  to 
Ills  destruction  in  the  current  of  a  turbid  stream,  he  will 
eateh  at  straws.  Anything  is  better  than  what  he  now 
has.  ]\Ien  who  are  passing  through  such  struggles  de- 
serve our  sympathy.  While  it  may  seem  that  they  can 
hardly  be  doing  the  work  of  the  Lord,  there  can  be  no 
question  but  this  is  just  what  they  desired  to  do  when 
they  started,  now  they  are  where  their  very  lives  de- 
pend upon  their  struggle. 

There  is  another  spirit  which  appears  not  alone  in  the 
little  weak  organizations  in  the  small  towns,  but  every- 
where. Pastors  and  officers  alike  desire  to  have  it  known 
that  their  church  is  a  prosperous  one.  Says  one  pastor, 
"I  have  the  leading  church  in  the  city."  "There  are 
two  different  denominations  in  our  town ;  my  church  is 
the  largest."  Sometimes  we  hear  it  said,  "My  church 
is  the  strongest  socially, "  or  "  My  church  has  the  wealth 
of  the  city."  "My  Sunday  School  is  the  largest  in  the 
city."  The  church  looks  with  pride  upon  the  position 
which  their  pastor  holds  in  the  community.  They  say, 
"Our  pastor  is  the  most  popular  man."  "The  most 
drawing  preacher."  Each  man,  pastor  and  all,  is  filled 
with  a  spirit,  certainly  very  like  the  spirit  of  vainglory. 
This  is  said  not  because  it  is  wrong  to  glory,  but  this 
is  not  glorying  in  the  Lord.  It  is  glorying  in  Presbj'- 
terianism,  in  Methodism,  in  Congregationalism,  or  in  the 
S])lendid  success  of  the  great  Baptist,  Lutheran,  or  Epis- 
copal ('hurches.  The  glorying  is  denominational.  It  is 
of  Ihis  world,  and  is  born  of  the  spirit  of  denomina- 
tional zeal.  It  compels  the  pastor  to  keep  his  eyes  upon 
the  line  which  marks  off  his  flock  and  to  do  his  utmost 
to  prevent  any  of  his  fold  from  wandering  over  into 
another.  lie  is  inlerested  in  training  liis  young  people, 
and  all  who  enter  his  ehuveh  in  tlu;  spirit  of  loyalty 


122 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


to  liis  own  denomination.  The  denominational  shib- 
boleths, Methodism,  Presbyterianism,  Congregationalism, 
Lutheranism,  are  shouted  forth  in  the  hope  that  they 
may  charm  and  fasten  within  the  denomination  all  who 
by  chance  may  come  within  the  magic  circle.  Every 
earnest  pastor,  who  puts  himself  and  his  life  into  his 
work,  if  he  be  thoughtful  and  honest,  must  confess  he 
has  been  unable  wholly  to  escape  the  toils  of  this  blast- 
ing sectarianism.  He  is  forced,  from  a  sense  of  neces- 
sity to  do  all  within  his  power  to  ground  his  young  peo- 
ple so  soundly  in  the  teachings  of  his  church  that  they 
shall  never  desert  her.  He  must  ground  them  in  the  life 
of  John  AVesley,  John  Calvin,  Westminster  Abbey, 
Plymouth  Rock,  Martin  Luther,  Roger  Williams  or  some 
other  denomination  saint  or  shrine,  that  these  persons 
and  places  shall  become  a  magnet  that  shall  give  direc- 
tion to  their  views,  control  their  beliefs,  and  determine 
their  lives.  It  is  not  the  Scriptures  alone  which  must 
become  the  standard  of  faith  and  practice,  but  the 
Scriptures  as  interpreted  and  applied  by  Luther,  Cal- 
vin, Wesley,  Alexander  Campbell,  or  some  other  man, 
who  at  some  time  broke  away  from  the  church  of  his 
fathers.  Great  pains  are  taken  to  render  it  impossible 
for  a  Wesleyan,  a  Presbyterian,  a  Lutheran,  or  a  Con- 
gregationalist  ever  to  feel  at  home  in  any  other  kind  of 
a  Church  than  that  of  his  childhood.  We  make  so  much 
of  a  ritual,  or  of  the  absence  of  a  ritual,  or  of  some 
characteristic  or  form  of  service,  that  those  of  our  train- 
ing may  never  be  able  to  rest  contentedly  under  any 
other  form.  The  pastor  who  to  the  greatest  degree  suc- 
ceeds in  accomplishing  this  is  counted  by  his  church 
the  most  successful.  Surely  there  is  in  all  this  some- 
thing dangerously  like  glorying  in  John  Wesley,  The 
Westminster  Confession,  Apostolic  Succession,  or  some 
other  shibboleth.  It  is  placing  the  emphasis  not  upon 
the  teaching  of  the  Scriptures,  pure  and  simple,  but 
upon  tlie  interpretation  of  some  man.  It  is  fair  to  say 
that  this  kind  of  denominational  pride  has  little  in  it 
of  the  spirit  of  Christ.   We  may  well  question  whether 


VAINGLORY  OF  DENOMINATIONALISM  123 


it  would  be  possible  for  denominationalism  to  inaiutain 
itself  unless  much  attention  were  given  to  this  kind  of 
teaching. 

This  kind  of  denominational  glorying  leads  to  some 
ytrange  things  in  church  expansion.  Denominations 
watch  with  eagle  eye  for  opportunities  to  go  in  and 
"occupy"  new  fields.  A  new  school,  or  a  new  preach- 
ing station,  is  supposed  to  open  a  new  center  of  de- 
nominational influence.  Some  years  ago  near  a  city  of 
some  twenty-five  thousand  inhabitants,  there  grew  up  a 
small  manufacturing  community.  It  was  so  far  re- 
moved from  any  of  the  city  churches  that  it  was  very 
difficult  for  these  families  to  attend  them.  The  popu- 
lation increased,  and  there  was  a  desire  for  some  kind 
of  religious  services.  One  of  the  men,  living  in  the 
community  and  a  member  of  the  church,  after  talking 
with  several  of  his  neighbors,  visited  a  pastor  in  the 
city,  and  arranged  for  him  to  preach  on  Sabbath  after- 
noons in  their  school  house.  A  Sunday  School  was  or- 
ganized by  the  people,  which  met  just  before  the  preach- 
ing service.  Everything  moved  smoothly,  and  all  were 
happy.  For  something  more  than  a  year  matters  pro- 
ceeded in  this  way.  The  community  did  not  increase 
in  population  as  was  expected,  and  it  was  doubtful 
whether  the  community  would  maintain  itself.  During 
this  time  the  pastors  of  another  denomination  in  the  city 
had  been  watching  this  work.  Finally  one  of  the  pas- 
tors of  that  denomination,  a  zealous  man,  whose  spirit 
was  quickened  by  the  healthful  rivalry  of  denomina- 
tional competition,  formed  a  plan.  The  churches  of 
that  denomination,  in  the  city,  quietly  raised  two  thou- 
sand dollars  and  authorized  this  man  to  act.  He  went 
to  the  syndicate,  holding  the  land,  which  was  seeking 
to  establish  the  town,  and  made  the  offer  that  if  they 
would  donate  the  lot  he  would  build  a  church.  The  lot 
was  selected  in  a  conspicuous  part  of  the  town,  and  be- 
fore the  people  of  the  cominunity  knew  that  any  such 
move  was  to  be  made  the  building  was  actually  coiii- 
mcuccd.    The  clergyman,  who  for  a  year  and  a  half 


124 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


had,  by  the  invitation  of  the  people,  been  working  in  the 
community,  and  had  the  organization  of  a  chnrch  al- 
ready under  way,  was  astonished  to  find  a  church  edifice 
in  process  of  erection.  Few  knew  who  was  doing  it. 
There  was  one  man  in  the  community  who  belonged  to 
the  denomination,  which  was  putting  up  the  building, 
and  he  alone  knew  what  was  going  on.  The  building 
was  soon  completed  and  the  pastors  of  that  denomina- 
tion in  the  city  and  surrounding  country  were  present 
and  dedicated  the  house  to  the  worship  of  God.  Half 
a  dozen  persons,  nearly  all  living  at  a  distance,  were 
organized  into  a  church.  The  deed  was  done.  There  was 
room  for  but  one  church.  The  man  who  had  labored  for 
months  in  the  field  had  nothing  to  do  but  go  on  and  or- 
ganize a  rival  church,  and  put  up  a  building  such  as 
the  people  desired,  or  to  do  the  Christian  thing  and 
withdraw.  He  advised  the  Sunday  School  to  go  into 
the  new  building  and  he  withdrew  from  the  field.  The 
people  were  indignant  and  desired  him  to  remain,  but 
he  would  have  no  part  in  such  a  divisive  work.  Several 
of  the  leading  families  of  the  community  refused  to 
have  anything  to  do  with  the  new  movement  and  re- 
fused to  attend  any  of  its  services  or  in  anywise  to  sup- 
port it.  They  openly  condemned  what  all  called  the  un- 
christian methods  of  the  intruding  denomination. 

Who  would  suggest  that  in  such  cases  it  was  zeal  in 
the  cause  of  Christ  which  led  to  the  competition?  It 
was  simply  a  case  of  pure  denominational  zeal.  It  was 
in  no  sense  a  struggle  to  lead  the  people  to  Christ  and 
to  build  i:p  Christian  character,  but  to  establish  one 
more  organization  in  a  particular  denomination.  This 
is  a  logical  result  of  our  system.  If  men  are  loyal  to 
their  denomination  they  must  feel  a  deeper  interest  in 
that  one  than  any  other.  They  will  do  more  for  their 
own  church.  It  is  but  natural  that  in  their  zeal  for 
their  religious  party  they  will  at  times  do  extreme  things. 
To  the  extent  that. this  kind  of  denominational  interest 
develops  must  tlierc  be  a  want  of  tlie  love  of  Christ. 
The  interest  iu  denomiuatioualism  leads  to  glorying  in 


VAINGLORY  OF  DENOMINATIONALISM  125 


dcnoniiiuitionalisra.  This  develops  denominational  or 
party  pride.  This  is  unchristian.  At  the  advent  of 
Christ  the  Hebrew  Church  was  passing  through  such 
I  an  experience.  It  was  divided  into  factions,  and  these 
were  at  enmity  with  each  other.  The  Pharisees,  the  Sad- 
ducees,  the  Herodians,  the  Zealots,  the  Libertines  and 
the  various  parties  among  the  Jews  had  developed  the 
spirit  of  party  strife  to  such  an  extent  that  the  true 
worship  of  Jehovah  had  come  to  be  a  cold  and  formal 
exercise.  The  struggle  engendered  bitterness,  hardening 
the  heart  against  spiritual  influences,  leaving  the  man  a 
partisan.  A  similar  struggle  is  now  in  progress.  It  is 
true  that  we  talk  much  of  brotherly  love.  Christian  fel- 
lowship and  church  comity,  but  the  fact  stands  before 
us  that  our  denominational  pride  is  so  strong,  the  vain- 
glory of  denominationalism  takes  such  a  hold  upon  us 
tliat  two  denominations  holding  practically  the  same 
creed,  and  having  the  same  polity,  find  it  an  impossible 
thing  to  unite.  From  each  party  comes  the  suggestive 
cry,  "we  cannot  sacrifice"  this  doctrine  or  that  custom, 
"for  it  would  be  to  surrender  a  distinctive  character- 
istic of  our  church."  We  are  willing  to  come  together 
if  we  can  agree  to  unite  upon  the  basis  of  our  church. 
If  this  cannot  be  done,  we  must  keep  up  our  quarrel, 
I  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  remain  apart.  Denomina- 
tional vainglory  stands  in  the  way  of  church  union  far 
more  than  any  real  differences.  Chiirches  assume  this 
attitude  and  justify  themselves  by  saying,  "We  stand 
by  some  phase  of  religious  truth."  "It  is  our  mission 
to  emphasize  this  truth  and  keep  it  before  the  world," 
even  though  tbe  church  be  embarrassed  by  unseemly 
contentions  and  the  onward  progress  of  the  Kingdom 
of  God  be  retarded.  Tinder  such  conditions  who  is 
willing  to  say  that  these  difFerences,  these  disagreements, 
these  religious  contentions  and  quarrels  of  so  serious  a 
nature  as  to  separate  religious  families  and  prevent 
brethren  from  abiding  together  in  peace  and  unity,  this 
kind  of  (Iciioiniiiiilional  competition  is  a  means  of  grace? 
Who  would  ijrououuce  it  to  be  a  real,  healthy,  bi)intual 


126 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


stimulus,  which  tends  to  deepen  spiritual  life,  leading 
to  a  profouiidcr  communion  with  Christ,  helping  to  ex- 
tend the  kingdom  of  God? 


CHAPTER  VIII 


DENOMINATIONALISM  A  PROCESS  OF  STULTIFICATION 


IIILE  there  are  many  embarrassing  complications 


arising  from  denominationalism,  while  so  fre- 
quently unseemly  conflicts  arise  which  greatly  involve 
religious  work  and  the  workers  are  forced  to  undergo 
personal  hardships,  while  the  waste  arising  from  such 
unwise  divisions  of  the  forces  is  great,  and  all  results  in 
engendering  an  unchristian  spirit  and  developing  false 
pride  and  vainglory,  still  these  are  not  the  most  unfortu- 
nate features  of  our  present  church  oi-ganization.  Were 
these;  all,  the  work  of  the  church  could  be  carried  for- 
ward with  a  reasonable  hope  that  ere  long  these  condi- 
tions nught  be  adjusted.  There  is  one  result  of  denomi- 
nationalism which  strikes  at  the  life  of  the  churcli, 
wliich  is  more  vicious,  is  fraught  with  greater  evil  than 
any  which  we  have  noticed.  Denominationalism  stulti- 
fies the  efforts  of  the  church,  and  deadens  her  spiritual 
life.  Tlie  unavoidable  result  of  the  contentions  and  em- 
barrassments of  the  spirit  of  denominationalism  is  to 
smother  the  spiritual  life  and  destroy  the  spiritual 
power  of  the  church.  Denominationalism  weakens  the 
church's  grasp  upon  tlie  Gospel.  It  distorts  her  faith. 
It  .sej)arates  from  Clirist. 

Let  us  notice  some  of  tlie  beginnings  of  these  divisions, 
and  study  tlieir  natun;  at  tlu;  fountain  head.  When 
Protestantism  in  the  sixteenth  century  first  emerged 
from  th(!  Roman  Churcli  and  entered  upon  a  course  of 
development  certain  marked  breaks  soon  appeared.  In 
(jiM'iiiany  Ijiither  and  his  associates  set  in  motion  the 
elements  vvliicli  pioduced  the  Ijutheran  Church  a,s  we 
know  it  to-day.    In  Geneva,  under  the  leadership  of 


127 


128 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


Calvin  appeared  other  elements  from  which  has  come 
the  group  of  churelies  known  as  Calvinistic.  At  Zurich, 
and  in  that  neighhorhood,  appeared,  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Zwingli,  a  third  development.  While  there  were 
other  and  less  important  movements,  these  will  illus- 
trate sufficiently  what  we  are  seeking  to  show.  The 
weakening  effect  of  so  many  different  kinds  of  Protes- 
tantism was  so  apparent  to  all  the  leaders  of  the  Refor- 
mation that  during  the  lifetime  of  Luther,  Calvin  and 
their  associates  most  strenuous  efforts  were  made  to 
bring  the  warring  factions  together  into  one  organic 
whole.  A  meeting  was  held  at  Marburg,  under  the  lead- 
ership of  a  pious  layman,  Philip,  where  Luther,  Zwingle 
and  Oecolampadius  made  an  effort  to  agree.  They  all 
saw  the  desirability  of  the  success  of  the  attempt.  They 
recognized  that  in  a  large  measure  the  future  of  the 
Reformed  Church  demanded  a  unity.  After  earnest 
and  somewhat  warm  debate,  the  conference  ended,  as 
all  believed  unfortunately,  without  having  attained  its 
purpose.  Luther  refused  to  extend  the  right  hand  of 
fellowship  to  these  brethren.  John  Calvin  with  great 
earnestness,  under  the  profound  conviction  that  the  suc- 
cess of  Protestantism  demanded  an  organic  unity,  la- 
bored in  vain  to  bring  it  about.  Every  one  of  every 
party  recognized  that  for  the  reform  movement  to  be 
divided  was  a  grave  misfortune.  They  saw  that  to  the 
extent  of  the  division  their  cause  was  weakened.  Heroic 
efforts  were  made  to  bring  the  leaders  together,  and  by 
compromise  and  a  better  understanding  to  secure  the 
organic  unity  of  the  new  church.  The  great  Protestant 
movement  was  broken  up,  yet  the  spirit  of  denomina- 
tionalism  had  not  yet  appeared.  The  different  factions 
became  national  chnrohes.  and  neither  attempted  to  in- 
vade the  territory  of  the  others.  Luther's  followers 
were  in  Germany,  Zwingle 's  in  Switzerland,  largely  near 
Zurich,  while  Calvin's  zone  of  influence  was  in  Geneva 
and  the  French  Provinces.  Hut  even  such  divisions 
were  recognized  as  the  weakness  of  Protestant  ism.  and 
everywhere  men  labored  £ind  prayed  for  a  coming  to- 


DENOMINATIONALISM 


129 


getlior  into  one  splendid,  strong  organization.  The  men 
of  tliat  age  unhesitatingly  expressed  their  conviction 
that  the  division  of  Protestantism  was  a  serious  misfor- 
tune. 

In  the  history  of  the  church  following  this  period 
every  time  there  appeared  a  division  in  any  church  or- 
ganization it  was  looked  upon  as  a  misfortune,  a  serious 
injury  to  the  cause  of  Christ.  In  every  instance  pro- 
longed and  earnest  efforts  were  put  forth  by  able  men, 
who  labored  hard  to  avert  what  they  believed  would  be 
a  weakening  of  the  church.  It  is  so  clear  that  argu- 
ment cannot  be  needed  that  the  breaking  up  of  an  or- 
ganization into  smaller  and  unsympathetic  parts  neces- 
sarily weakens  the  cause  for  which  it  exists.  This  is 
not  merely  a  misfortune,  an  interference  with  the 
progress  of  the  kingdom  of  God  at  the  time  it  occurs, 
but  so  long  as  the  division  remains  it  continues  a 
hindrance  to  the  growth  of  the  church  and  interferes 
with  the  normal  progress  of  the  Kingdom.  Take  as  an 
illustration  an  individual  church  in  a  country  village. 
Suppose  in  this  church  there  arise  a  difference  of  opin- 
ion concerning  certain  details  of  management.  This  dif- 
ference develops  until  a  violent  division  results.  A 
faction  leaves  the  organization,  withdrawing  their  sup- 
port. The  faction  organizes  itself  into  another  church. 
A  lot  is  purchased  and  a  building  erected.  The  finan- 
cial strength  of  the  former  organization  is  divided.  The 
spiritual  power  is  divided.  The  expense  is  practically 
doubled.  We  have  two  organizations,  with  two  build- 
ings, two  pastors,  and  two  sets  of  services  to  maintain 
where  one  organization  and  one  pastor  could  do  the 
work  better.  There  is  furthermore  a  weakening  of  the 
cause  of  religion  which  results  from  the  want  of  sym- 
pathy between  the  factions.  The  influence  of  the  church 
is  greatly  diminished  in  the  community.  The  outsiders 
think  they  sec  the  same  contentious  spirit  which  exists 
in  the  world.  Then  tlie  men  who  are  engaged  in  this 
contention  are  in  no  small,  measure  unfilted  for  real 
spiritual  work.    Their  communion  with  God,  in  such  a 


130 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


state  of  niiud  and  heart,  is  more  or  less  broken  off.  They 
are  rendered  less  effective  in  all  their  labors.  ^Yho  ever 
heard  of  any  man  who  advocated  a  church  quarrel  suf- 
ficiently serious  as  to  split  a  church  as  a  means  of  in- 
creasing faith,  developing  spiritual  mindedness,  and  in- 
creasing religious  efficiency?  Such  quarrels  always 
lower  the  spiritual  character  of  the  organization.  Every 
one  deplores  such  divisions  in  a  church  as  a  calamity 
in  the  religious  life  of  a  community. 

In  larger  organizations,  like  denominations,  we  must 
reason  in  the  same  way.  If  discord  be  a  weakening  of 
a  small  organization,  it  will  operate  in  a  similar  way  in 
larger  bodies.  Xo  one  ever  maintains  that  to  divide  a 
denomination  into  hostile  and  contending  camps  is  a 
.strengthening  process.  We  never  find  congratulations 
tendered  over  a  church  quarrel,  even  if  it  be  between 
factions  in  a  denomination.  In  1835  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  the  United  States  there  was  the  cul- 
mination of  a  struggle  between  two  contending  parties 
which  resulted  in  the  division  of  that  body  into  what 
was  known  as  the  Old  and  New  School  branches.  The 
division  was  deplored  by  every  one.  Its  baneful  in- 
tiuenees  were  such  that  thirty  years  after  its  occuiTence 
the  leaders  in  both  organizations  began  a  struggle  which 
finally,  in  1870,  resulted  in  the  reuniting  of  the  two 
warring  factions.  The  event  was  the  occasion  of  the 
greatest  rejoicing  in  both  branches  of  the  church.  All 
believed  that  a  great  victory  had  been  accomplished. 

In  justification  of  the  various  divisions  of  the  church 
we  are  told  that  the  divisions  of  Protestantism  are  like 
the  divisions  in  an  army.  The  army  is  divided  in  corps, 
divisions,  brigades,  troops,  battalions,  companies.  Each 
has  an  organization  of  its  own.  with  its  responsible  ofTi- 
cers.  "While  this  is  true,  the  army  is  a  unity.  It  is 
one.  There  are  different  kinds  of  troops,  with  different 
equipment  for  particular  lines  of  work.  "We  have  the 
infantry,  artillery,  cavalry,  the  sapjiers.  the  hospital 
corps  and  the  signal  service.  Put  while  in  the  effective 
army  there  appears  all  this  variety  the  army  is  a  single 


DENOMTNATTONALISM 


131 


organization.  There  is  one,  and  but  one  commanding 
officer.  Tliis  commander  controls  the  movements  and 
activity  of  every  single  man.  The  entire  army  is  under 
the  same  system  of  tactics,  and  all  are  controlled  hy  the 
same  rules.  The  church  broken  up  into  denominations 
is  not  an  analogous  organization.  In  the  church  if  we 
say  we  have  the  cavalry,  the  infantry,  the  artillery,  and 
the  various  departments,  each  is  independent  of  the 
others.  The  cavalry  has  no  connection  with  the  in- 
fantry or  the  artillery,  and  runs  off  to  fight  its  own  bat- 
tles independent  of  the  other  departments.  The  engi- 
neers sometimes  throw  up  earthworks  in  one  place,  then 
in  another  with  no  regard  to  a  commanding  officer. 
Every  regiment  in  this  spiritual  host  ignores  every  other 
regiment,  and  is  unsympathetic  in  its  relation  to  the  rest 
of  the  army.  Th(!  Presbyterians  will  not  take  orders 
from  the  T^piscopalians,  nor  the  (-ongregationalists  from 
the  Methodists.  What  would  such  a  kind  of  disorgan- 
ized independency  on  the  part  of  the  various  units  of  an 
army  do  to  that  army?  Such  a  conglomeration  of  or- 
ganization under  separate  leaders  in  an  army  would  do 
just  what  it  does  in  the  church,  introduce  the  most 
disastrous  kind  of  confusion.  In  the  church  men  work 
hard,  at  great  cost,  and  as  they  look  up  they  find  that 
members  of  another  detachment  of  Christians  are  break- 
ing down  their  work,  and  oi)posing  their  i)rogress.  A 
church  enters  a  community  and  organizes  a  congrega- 
tion. A  building  is  erected,  and  prosperity  appears. 
P>eforc  they  have  quite  arrived  at  the  point  of  self- 
sui)port  in  comes  anotlua*  organization,  and  divides  the 
patronage,  drawing  oil'  .some  of  llieir  members.  No  ar- 
rangement was  entered  into  between  the  two  organiza- 
tions. Shortly,  as  th(!  comiiiunify  begins  to  incn^ase,  an- 
other cinirch  comes,  tiien  another  an(l  another.  The  com- 
munity could  support  splendidly  a  single  organization. 
It  is  impossible  for  it  to  inaintaiji  all  which  have  come. 
Th(!  competition  of  denominations  stnltifies  the  pastors, 
and  stops  tbeir  growth.  r.ecanse  of  thes(!  divisions 
we  jiresent  to  tiic  world  a  divided  front.    This  weakens 


132 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


the  influence  of  the  ehnrch.  She  fails  in  no  little  meas- 
ure  in  her  great  mission  of  saving  men.  To  such  a  degree 
has  this  influence  been  felt  in  mission  fields  that  deter- 
mined and  earnest  efforts  at  this  moment,  led  by  native 
Christians,  are  being  made  to  bring  about  combinations, 
and  these  are  aimed  at  a  final  union.  In  India,  in  China 
and  other  lands  the  denominational  divisions  of  the 
church  have  put  her  at  such  a  disadvantage  that  the 
various  mission  Boards  of  the  home  churches  have 
been  compelled  to  make  arrangements  whereby  these 
disadvantages  might  in  some  measure  be  overcome. 
While  the  churches  at  home  have  not  come  together  an 
agreement  has  been  made  whereby  the  mission  fields 
have  been  divided  so  that,  so  far  as  possible,  unseemly 
conflicts  may  not  occur.  Protestantism  has  found  it  nec- 
essaiy  to  seem  to  be  in  her  foreign  work  a  unit.  So  she 
seeks  to  make  it  appear  to  the  heathen  world,  that  she  is 
undivided.  One  church  will  be  given  a  single  country, 
or  certain  provinces,  and  another  church  another  coun- 
trj^,  or  other  provinces,  and  all  promise  not  to  trespass 
upon  each  other 's  fields.  This  all  goes  to  show  that  even 
the  officers  who  are  directing  this  work  have  learned 
enough  of  the  unsoundness  of  our  present  denomina- 
tional spirit,  and  of  its  stultifying  influence,  that  in 
their  foreign  field  they  are  seeking  to  avoid  it.  The  fact 
that  all  of  the  great  denominations  have  been  led,  with- 
out exception,  to  recognize  the  wisdom  of  such  a  division 
of  territory  is  proof  positive  that  the  officers  of  our 
Boards  and  our  missionaries  have  learned  that  the  kind 
of  competition  which  exists  among  denominations  at 
home  is  so  unfortunate,  so  stultifying  in  its  influence, 
that  sacrifices  must  bo  made  to  avoid  it  in  mission  fields. 
So  stultifying  is  denominationalism  in  mission  work 
that  by  getting  far  enough  away  from  each  other  the 
church  leaders  hope  to  escape  its  baleful  infliience.  This 
has  been  but  partially  successful.  The  native  Chris- 
tians at  the  ])i'esent  time,  in  China,  Japan,  and  India 
liavo  felt  the  evil  consequences  of  those  divisions  to  such 
a  degree  that  they  are  demanding  that  there  shall  be 


DENOMINATIONALISM 


133 


but  one  native  church  of  Christ.  They  ask  that  this 
shall  be  national  in  extent,  and  undenominational  in 
character. 

There  is  still  another  way  in  which  the  divisions  of 
the  church  stultify  her  influence.  Suppose  we  go  to 
a  city  with  150,000  inhabitants.  Twenty  denominations 
are  working  among  its  people.  All  are  recognized  as 
Christian  and  are  designated  as  Protestant.  They  work 
independent  of  each  other.  In  the  city  is  a  large  for- 
eign element.  These  are  not  connected  with  the  Protes- 
tant Church.  Another  large  element,  outside  of  any 
church,  is  American  born.  There  are  many  who  con- 
tribute to  the  support  of  the  churches,  but  beyond  this 
have  little  real  interest.  The  necessity  of  a  religious  life 
is  pressed  upon  the  people.  The  love  of  Christ  is 
preached  and  an  effort  is  made  to  attract  the  non-re- 
ligious into  some  church.  The  outside  men  and  women 
look  upon  these  efforts  very  much  as  they  do  upon  the 
efforts  of  the  political  bosses  to  secure  votes  to  carry  an 
election.  The  first  and  a  most  difficult  thing  which  the 
Christian  worker  has  to  do  is  to  persuade  these  outside 
people  to  recognize  the  true  spirit  of  Christianity.  In 
one  of  our  city  churches  there  was  a  pastor  who  visited 
for  some  years  in  a  certain  home  where  they  did  not 
attend  church.  The  children  were  in  the  Sunday 
School  and  the  parents  were  often  urged  to  attend  Di- 
vine worship.  One  day  this  man  made  an  earnest  plea 
and  presented  very  plainly  the  duty  of  church  attend- 
ance and  the  obligation  of  religion.  The  wife  replied, 
"]\Iy  husband  and  I  have  talked  this  over,  and  some- 
time we  may  go  to  church.  We  have  agreed  that  when 
we  do  we  will  go  nowhere  else  but  to  your  church.  We 
are  ready  to  promise  this."  These  people  saw  a  multi- 
tude of  churches.  They  .saw  a  kind  of  competition,  the 
different  pastors  were  working  to  secure  i)ersons  to  at- 
tend their  own  churches.  This  man  had  been  so  at- 
tentive to  lliein  they  felt  that  should  they  ever  attend 
church,  or  need  a  clergyinau,  Ihis  inati  by  bis  faitliftil- 
ncss  in  visiting  tlieni  deserved  that  he  should  be  re- 


134 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


warded.  If  they  ever  give  any  attention  to  religion 
they  will  take  his  brand.  This  is  the  way  thousands  of 
those  seldom  seen  iu  any  church  look  upon  religion.  It 
comes  about  largely  through  the  competition  of  the  de- 
nominations. The  very  zeal  of  pastors  and  members 
stultify  the  work  of  the  church.  A  man  once  said  to 
one  of  our  pastors,  "Y?s,  I  believe  that  a  man  ought  to 
be  a  Christian,  but  it  is  so  hard  to  tell  who  is  right.  I 
must  have  time  to  look  the  field  over."  Then  there  is 
such  a  supposed  diversity  of  views,  and  such  an  opposi- 
tion of  methods,  as  it  appears  to  the  irreligious,  that  we 
must  not  be  surprised  if  such  persons  come  to  look  upon 
religion  as  a  vague  uncertain  kind  of  thing,  not  to  lie 
understood  by  any  one  save  a  few  specialists,  and  pos- 
sibly not  even  by  such.  One  man  told  a  visiting  clergy- 
man, "It  is  not  possible  for  all  the  churches  to  be  right. 
Who  can  tell  who  is  right?"  Another  man  said,  "I  will 
wait  until  the  churches  agree  among  themselves,  then 
I  will  attend  to  religion.  I  think  it  will  be  time  then." 
It  may  be  true  that  such  reasoning  is  not  justified,  yet 
it  exists,  and  it  certainly  has  a  basis  upon  which  to  rest. 
Just  as  long  as  the  denominations  keep  up  their  con- 
tentions and  wrangle  over  the  questions  which  divide 
them,  unable  to  agree  who  can  say  that  those  on  the  out- 
side have  not  some  ground  upon  which  to  base  their  rea- 
soning, when  they  justify  their  indifference?  We  may 
say  that  the  differences  which  separate  Protestants  all 
have  to  do  with  minor  matters,  and  do  not  impair  Chris- 
tian living,  or  salvation,  nevertheless  it  is  difficult  to 
convince  the  worldly  man  that  such  is  the  ease.  Then 
if  these  differences  are  of  .so  little  moment,  and  have  no 
r(>al  bearing  upon  a  man's  relation  to  God,  there  is  all 
the  more  reason  why  we  should  cease  to  quarrel,  and 
come  together.  By  our  dift'erent  denominations  we  jus- 
tify the  belief  of  the  outside  world  that  our  differences 
are  very  i?nportant.  These  divisions,  for  such  rea.sons, 
slultify  the  work  of  the  church.  When  we  prescTit 
Christianity  to  a  mnn,  we  must  not  call  liim  stupid  or 
unfair  if  he  refuse  to  admit  our  claim,  while  we  are 


DENOMINATIONALISM 


135 


in  his  view  so  opinionatod  ourselves  that  we  cannot  fel- 
lowsliip  with  others  who  have  jnst  as  real  a  claim  to  be 
the  genuine  Christians  as  we  ourselves.  When  we  claim 
that  our  differences  are  so  unimportant  it  is  but  fair 
that  there  should  be  in  his  mind  the  question  why 
should  we  break  up  the  church  over  such  trifles?  It 
is  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  and  ought  to  be  in  the  eyes 
of  the  church,  a  reproach  to  disagree  on  such  an  im- 
portant matter  as  religion,  over  little  trifles.  This 
is  the  way  men  reason  in  all  our  larger  cities.  Our 
denominations  stultify  the  progress  of  Christianity.  In 
the  little  country  town  where  the  church's  struggle  for 
existence  is  so  intense  many  a  man  remains  outside  the 
church  because  he  wants  nothing  to  do  with  a  spirit 
which  appears  to  him  so  narrow  and  divisive.  There  is 
to  him  exceedijigly  little  that  is  Christlike  in  denomi- 
nationalism.  The  man  of  the  world  fails  to  see  in  the 
clnirch  the  power  of  God.  He  sees  on  the  outside  little 
to  distinguish  the  church  from  other  organizations 
which  make  no  such  pretentions.  The  spirit  which  he 
sees  in  the  church,  so  far  as  he  can  see,  has  the  same 
rancor  and  contention,  the  same  selfish  ambitions  as  he 
sees  in  commercial  organizations  and  worldly  organiza- 
tions generally.  The  ambition  of  pastors  and  Christians 
seems  to  him  to  be  to  build  up  a  particular  organization 
rather  than  to  reach  the  unsaved.  As  the  man  of  the 
world  sees  church  life,  and  from  his  point  of  view  inter- 
prets its  aims,  he  fails  to  recognize  any  real  appreciable 
dift'erenec  between  the  spirit  of  the  church  and  that  of 
a  political  i)arty.  He  sees  that  quarrels  in  the  church 
are  as  likely  to  occur  as  quarrels  in  a  political  party, 
and  they  are  even  more  bitter.  lie  sees  political  i)arties 
disrupted  by  factional  leaders.  He  thinks  he  sees 
chunthes  disrupted  by  what  he  denominates  factional 
leaders.  The  world  recognizes  that  splits  in  political 
parties,  even  though  based  upon  what  the  lead(>rs  desig- 
nate as  iiriportant  i'liiidauicnlal  principles,  are  likely  to 
prove  disastrous,  not  inilVc(|ii('ii1ly  fatal.  Wlicii  llu^ 
church  of  ('iirist  splits  W(!  <;all  our  divisions  (Utnomina- 


]36 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


tions,  while  to  the  man  of  the  world  thoy  look  like  fac- 
tions. We  say  that  these  denominations  stand  for  great 
principles,  they  witness  to  some  distinctive  religious 
trnth.  The  man  of  the  world  fails  to  see  in  what  par- 
ticular this  differs  from  the  political  party,  save  in 
name.  We  unhesitatingly  call  the  fighting  factions  of 
political  parties,  those  divisions  which  cannot  agree  to 
come  together,  warring  factions.  To  the  non-Christian 
man  similar  divisions  in  the  church,  which  hold  to  some 
tenets  so  strongly  that  they  cannot  agree  to  come  to- 
gether, are  warring  factions.  Is  not  this,  after  all,  a  cor- 
rect diagnosis  of  the  situation?  The  man  who  is  a  fac- 
tional leader,  and  all  his  followers,  may  be  perfectly 
.sincere  in  his  belief  that  what  he  holds,  which  differs 
from  the  others,  is  important  truth.  To  him  this  phase 
of  truth  may  seem  so  fundamental  that  those  who  fail 
to  accept  it  are  on  the  way  to  perdition.  In  politics 
.such  a  leader  is  a  factional  leader.  In  the  church  we 
have  been  accustomed  to  call  him  a  great  reformer.  The 
factions  in  politics  weaken  the  party.  It  is  equally  true 
that  the  factions  in  the  church  weaken  the  church.  The 
various  divisions  which  have  arisen  in  the  church,  even 
in  more  recent  times,  are  hopeless  so  far  as  ever  ab- 
sorbing the  original  body.  They  simply  break  away 
from  the  body  of  which  formerly  they  were  a  part,  or- 
ganize themselves  into  another  church  or  denomination, 
and  then  go  out  into  the  field  and  endeavor  to  take 
members  as  rapidly  as  possible  from  all  other  bodies. 
Now  if  we  are  honest,  if  we  hold  the  church  to  as  high 
a  standard  as  we  do  the  political  organization,  we  must 
look  upon  every  such  disruption  as  a  bad,  unfortunate 
thing,  and  often  nothing  less  than  a  religious  calamity. 
In  so  far  as  the  new  bodj^  succeeds  it  leads  away  from 
the  parent  organization.  So  far  as  it  does  this,  it  coun- 
teracts the  infiuence  of  the  body  from  which  it  came  out. 
In  so  far  as  the  parent  organization  succeeds  in  holding 
its  members,  it  stultifies  the  efforts  of  the  part}'  which 
left  its  fold.  In  so  far  as  the  schism  succeeds  in  draw- 
ing to  herself  othei-s,  it  stultifies  the  mother  church. 


DENOMTNATIONALISM 


137 


This  stnltifieation  is  not  tomporary,  soon  to  pass  away 
after  tlie  first  heat  of  the  break,  but  is  destined  to  con- 
tinue as  long  as  the  two  organizations  exist.  It  is  fair 
to  say  so  long  as  they  refuse  to  agree  sufficiently  to 
unite,  that  they  are  in  open  opposition.  Their  disagree- 
ment is  so  violent  that  they  cannot  come  together  and 
live  in  peace.  They  are  opposed  to  each  other.  Were  it 
otherwise,  it  would  be  easy  for  them  to  reunite.  The 
world  sees  the  division.  The  world  sees  that  the  parties 
do  not  unite,  and  justly  concludes  that  they  are  so  an- 
tagonistic, each  to  the  other  that  they  cannot  work  to- 
gether. It  is  true  that  despite  all  that  may  be  said,  or 
any  talk  of  the  spirit  of  unity  which  may  be  made,  these 
denominations  do  not  agree.  Their  disagreement  is  so 
bitter,  and  upon  matters,  of  course,  so  important,  so 
vital  to  true  religion  that  they  are  unable  to  tolerate 
each  other  in  the  same  organization.  We  must  also  ad- 
mit that  for  two  denominations  to  manifest  such  a  spirit 
is  to  stultify  both  organizations.  It  casts  a  reflection 
upon  the  great  truths  which  they  claim  to  hold.  Such 
divisions  bring  reproach  upon  the  name  Christian.  Such 
a  spirit  certainly  is  not  of  Clhrist.  Admittedly  it  does 
not  tend  to  the  peace  of  the  church.  It  mu.st,  from  the 
very  nature  of  the  case,  weaken  the  churcli  as  a  re- 
ligious working  force,  and  stultify  in  no  small  degree 
her  influence. 

This  is  still  further  illustrated  by  the  cases  of  experi- 
ence in  real  life,  which  can  be  met  on  every  hand.  In 
a  small  community  there  is  a  little  group  of  ])ersons 
who  by  nature  are  leaders.  In  any  movement  their  com- 
bined leadership  insures  success.  They  are  usually  men 
of  ability,  and  are  the  prosperous  men  in  the  com- 
munity. Old  and  young  look  to  such  intelligent  men 
as  tlie  persons  to  lead  in  any  enterprise.  In  nearly 
every  community  there  is  a  group  of  persons  who  by 
natural  gifts,  taste,  and  education  are  the  inusical  lead- 
ers ol"  the  M('igl)b())ho()d.  In  a  village  there  may  bo 
three  or  four  good  singers,  .witli  one  wlio  is  a  pianist  of 
some  skill.    There  are  a  few  persons  of  good  character) 


138 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


who  have  the  business  ability  and  good  judgment  to 
manage  the  affairs  of  a  ehureh  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
give  her  a  dignified  pasition  among  the  successful  or- 
ganizations of  the  place.  In  a  community  of  two  or 
three  hundred  the  number  of  persons  of  either  class  is 
limited.  Suppose  that  in  such  a  community  there  were 
a  single  church.  All  the  m.cn  of  the  community  would 
be  associated  together  in  this  one  organization.  Though 
in  a  small  village  sueh  an  organization  would  have  a 
strong  leadership.  There  would  be  persons  enough  of 
ability  to  give  the  organization  real  commanding  influ- 
ence. There  would  be  enough  musical  persons  to  fur- 
nish material  for  a  good  choir.  There  would  be  another 
group  of  men  with  the  business  ability  and  enterprise 
to  care  for  the  financial  interests  of  the  church.  There 
would  be  some  one  who  would  make  an  excellent  leader 
in  the  Sunday  School.  The  ehureh  would  have  a  vig- 
orous successful  organization,  able  to  coinmand  the  con- 
fidence and  respect  of  every  one.  The  little  church  of 
the  village  would  in  this  way  have  a  more  efficient  or- 
ganization than  the  average  church  in  the  city  of  five 
or  six  thousand  people.  Unfortunately  wc  do  not  find 
this  ideal  condition.  Our  denominationalism  has  made 
it  impossible.  In  this  little  community  of  three  hun- 
dred, three  and  not  unfrequently  four,  religious  organi- 
zations crowd  in.  The  working  forces  of  tlie  village  are 
divided.  Those  who  would  make  excellent  church  offi- 
cers are  divided  into  three  or  four  groups.  There  is 
possibly  but  one  really  good  man  for  the  leadership  in 
each  organization.  One  of  the  best  singers  is  found  in 
one  church,  another  in  another  church,  whil(>  the  otiier 
two  or  three  are  somewhere  else.  The  people  split  into 
groups,  families  divide,  and  the  religious  life  of  the 
comnumity  has  in  it  no  unanimity.  Instead  of  one 
good,  strong,  well-managed,  prosperous  organization, 
dominating  tlie  entire  community,  we  have  three,  pos- 
sil)ly  four,  little,  weak,  struggling  churches,  with  ineffi- 
cient officei-s,  the  poorest  kind  of  mtisic,  tlie  Sunday 
Scliool  hampered  for  the  need  of  leaders  and  teachers, 


DENOMINATIONALISM 


139 


trying  to  grind  out  an  existence.  Every  church  in  the 
village  groans  under  the  crushing  financial  burdens. 
Not  a  cliurch  in  the  place  has  a  respectable  choir,  or  a 
board  of  officers,  which  measures  up  to  the  average 
standard  of  the  community.  The  struggle  is  a  hard  one, 
and  the  success  is  never  more  than  partial.  It  is  but 
reasonable  that  we  should  ask  why  has  not  such  a  com- 
munity a  strong,  aggressive  church  able  to  command 
the  assent  of  the  most  intelligent  families,  and  to  prove 
an  inspiration  to  all.  Just  one  thing  is  in  the  way,  the 
denominations.  Three  of  these  four  churches  are  inter- 
fering with  the  good  work  which  any  one  of  them  could 
do,  if  unhindered.  Any  one  of  the  four,  with  the  natu- 
ral leaders  united,  could  care  for  the  religious  interests 
of  the  village  far  better  than  the  four,  under  the  most 
favorable  conditions  possibly  could  do  it.  They  could 
do  more  work,  do  it  better  and  do  it  much  easier  if  three 
of  the  buildings  should  burn  down,  and  the  organiza- 
tions be  abandoned.  It  would  not  much  matter  which 
of  the  three  it  might  be  to  go  out  of  existence.  It  is 
evident  that  any  three  of  these  organizations  are  stulti- 
fying the  influence  of  the  other  one.  One  influence'^ 
which  this  unnecessary  number  of  churches  have  in  the 
community  is  to  create  an  impression  in  the  minds  of 
outsiders,  especially  the  young,  and  more  particularly " 
among  Protestants,  that  Christianity  is  a  weak,  strug- 
gling, irresponsible  aggregation  of  good-intentioned  peo- 
ple, nearly  always  in  a  fight  and  hopelessly  behind  the 
age.  There  is  also  the  conviction  that  these  churches 
have  very  little  spiritual  life.  Judged  from  their  man- 
ner of  work  they  are  forced  1o  resort  to  all  sorts 
of  spasmodic  spurts  to  gain  some  advantage  in  church 
attendance  over  their  competitors.  With  this  conflict 
going  on  before  their  eyes  it  is  difTieult  to  persuaile  the 
young  and  thoughtful  of  the  coiiununity  to  eiilist  in  such 
a  struggle.  It  raises  serious  doubts  in  the  mind  of  many 
whether  after  all  njligion  be  such  an  important  (liing. 

The  above  [)r('.sen(s  not  an  unusual  |)ie('e  of  iii.story  in 
the  small  conununity.    Wei'e  it  not  that  through  the 


140 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


hardcuiug  process  of  time  we  have  become  so  acciis- 
toincd  to  this  situation  that  we  have  come  to  look  upon 
it  as  a  kind  of  necessity,  that  this  un-Christiau  interfer- 
ence is  a  part  of  Christianity,  the  community  would  be 
shocked  beyond  measure  by  the  spirit  which  is  breathed 
in  denominationalism  and  there  would  arise  a  wide- 
spread demand  that  this  discord  and  contention  cease. 
The  community  would  not  endure  the  ungodly  conflict 
which  is  being  carried  on  in  the  name  of  Christianity. 
As  it  is  we  are  stultifying  each  other's  influence. 

In  these  days  we  hear  much  from  the  platform,  in  re- 
ligious papers  and  magazine  articles  we  have  it  fre- 
quently held  before  us,  that  there  is  a  woeful  lack  of 
young  men  in  our  churches.  Over  and  over  we  are  told 
that  the  church  of  to-day  is  somehow  failing  to  reach 
the  young.  Notice  some  of  the  facts.  There  have  been 
sections  in  our  own  and  in  other  countries  where  the 
divisions  of  the  church  did  not  to  so  large  an  extent 
exist.  Not  so  many  years  ago  there  used  to  be  portions 
of  Pennsylvania  where  entire  communities  would  have 
but  a  single  church  organization.  In  New  England 
there  was  a  time  when  there  were  many  places  where 
denominational  difi'erences  were  practically  unknown. 
In  the  Presbyterian  communities  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
the  Congregational  communities  of  New  England,  it  was 
not  at  all  difficult  to  secure  the  attendance  at  church 
of  practically  the  entire  community.  Old  and  young 
alike  were  regidar  in  their  attendance  upon  the  religious 
services.  Young  men  and  young  women  came  into  the 
church  at  the  proper  age  in  a  most  natural  manner. 
There  still  remains  a  very  few  such  communities.  Out 
of  such  come  no  small  or  inconsiderable  a  number  of  the 
church  workers  in  her  great  onward  movements.  The 
conununities  of  a  single  church  oi'ganization  furnish  a 
proportion  of  religious  leaders  far  in  excess  of  the  rest 
of  the  church.  Examine  the  other  kinds  of  communities 
where  the  religious  life  is  divided  between  several  de- 
nominations. Noitli(!r  to-day  nor  in  former  days  do  we 
find  in  these  communities  chui'ch  attendance  as  general 


DENOMINATIONALISM 


141 


as  where  there  was  a  single  ehurch.  The  young  meu 
who  have  gone  out  into  the  world  from  commuuitics 
hroken  up  by  deiiominatious  have  not  carried  with  them 
the  high  religious  ideals  of  manhood  found  where  there 
was  but  a  single  organization.  AVith  such  religion  takes 
a  lower  place.  In  no  small  measure  responsibility  for 
such  a  condition  may  be  laid  at  the  door  of  deuomina- 
tionalism.  Three  churches,  in  a  community  of  three 
hundred,  will  not,  according  to  past  experience,  reach 
as  generally  the  inhabitants  of  the  community,  or  to  so 
large  a  degree  command  the  respect  of  the  young,  or 
the  following  of  all  as  a  single  organization.  Religious 
life  does  not  attain  so  high  a  standard.  The  crowding 
in  of  the  denominations  is  stultifying. 

Through  our  denominationalism  we  stultify  ourselves 
by  the  unwise  employment  of  our  funds  and  energies. 
We  have  previously  noticed  the  wa.stefulness  of  denom- 
inationalism. If  we  only  threw  our  money  away  it 
would  not  be  so  bad,  even  we  could  stand  the  sacrifice 
of  good  men,  but  we  do  worse  than  this.  We  labor  hard 
to  raise  our  money,  and  then  we  expend  it  in  such  a  way 
that  it  actually  interferes  with  the  most  successful  Cliris- 
tian  effort.  In  a  certain  city  of  four  or  five  thousand 
pcoph;  there  are  fifteen  or  twenty  churches.  Two  or 
three  churches  at  the  most  could  do  the  work  which  is 
done,  and  do  it  far  better  than  a  larger  number  possibly 
can.  Over  half  of  the  money  used  in  that  town  for 
church  support,  instead  of  building  up  and  .strengthen- 
ing Christianity,  actually  diminishes  the  good  which,  un- 
Iiindored.  the  other  half  might  do.  The  money  worse 
than  squandered  in  that  community  is  equal  to  all  that 
is  needed  to  give  the  people  living  there  a  better  re- 
ligious condition  than  they  now  have.  The  money  worse 
tlian  squandered  in  this  country  in  the  unnecessary 
multiplying  of  churches,  if  saved,  would  give  at  least 
four  times  as  much  money  for  Foreign  Missions  as  we 
now  raise,  and  incrca.se  the  cfTicicncy  of  tlie  ehurch  at 
home  fourfold.  This  couhl  be  done  and  not  laise  a  sin- 
gle dollar  more  than  is  now  given  for  the  work  at  home. 


142 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


lu  this  mariner,  the  money  which  is  being  wasted  here 
at  home  under  God  would  evangelize  the  world.  It 
would  leave  our  workers  at  home  unembarrassed.  It 
would  liberate  thousands  of  men,  and  place  them  in  a 
far  more  effective  field.  Without  increasing  our  contri- 
butions we  could  increase  the  efficiency  of  our  churches 
more  than  fourfold.  But  instead  of  this  we  raise  a  cer- 
tain number  of  dollars,  and  start  work  in  a  cei-tain  com- 
uuinity,  then  raise  as  much  more,  and  send  out  men  to 
interfere  with  and  to  render  unfruitful  the  first  invest- 
ment. It  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  explain  how  intelli- 
gent Christian  men  can  be  persuaded  to  continue  in  a 
course  so  unreasonable.  If  such  a  course  be  not  stultify- 
ing it  is  difficult  to  find  a  course  which  would  be.  Should 
we  wonder  that  the  church  is  so  often  embarrassed  be- 
cause of  the  fewness  of  the  young  men  who  offer  them- 
selves for  the  Gospel  ministry?  During  the  period  of 
intense  controversy,  when  a  large  part  of  the  energies 
of  the  church  went  into  the  fight  against  other  denomi- 
nations, a  kind  of  denominational  enthusiasm  was  en- 
gendered which  appealed  to  young  students  and  led 
them  to  offer  themselves.  Now  as  we  are  more  fully 
reaping  the  fruit  of  our  folly,  and  feel  more  sharply 
the  effects  of  our  competition,  the  unwisdom,  possibly 
at  times  the  un-christian  spirit  of  our  course,  becomes 
more  evident,  and  men  hesitate  to  devote  themselves  to 
this  kind  of  internecine  warfare.  Denominational  zeal 
is  made  to  falter  before  the  better  judgment  of  men  and 
who  is  surprised  that  fewer  are  coming  forward,  offering 
to  enter  the  ranks  of  a  ministry  forced,  by  our  condi- 
tions, to  engage  in  such  a  battle?  We  are  approaching 
tlie  point  where  we  must  rely  upon  tlie  normal  supply 
from  the  church  for  the  ministry.  If  it  be  true  that 
God  give  some  special  call  to  the  ministry,  as  some  of 
us  believe,  the  question  arises,  Will  He  be  likely  to  call 
a  larger  number  than  the  church  properly  administered 
actually  needs?  It  would  be  scarcely  probable  that  the 
Great  Head  of  the  church  would  allow  Himself  to  be 
made  a  party  in  such  an  unseemly  scramble  as  the  mod- 


DENOMINATIONALISM 


143 


ern  Protestant  world  presents.  Possibly  the  Divine 
Head  of  the  churcli  may  take  this  method  to  bring  His 
children  to  cease  their  contentions,  and  to  unite  in  one 
glorious  church.  It  certainly  would  be  folly  on  the  part 
of  Grod  to  call  into  the  ministry  three  times  as  many  men 
as  are  needed,  when  two-thirds  of  them  would  simply 
hinder  the  work  which  the  first  third  might  do,  if  left 
free.  We  can  scarcely  pray  that  the  Head  of  the  church 
would  raise  up  candidates  for  the  ministry,  when  we  de- 
sire to  use  them  to  propagate  our  contentions  and  to 
carry  on  our  quarrels.  The  folly  of  such  a  course  is 
evident.  Instead  of  this  if  our  particular  church  have 
the  only  really  simon  pure  religion,  and  to  such  an  ex- 
tent as  to  justify  our  separating  ourselves  from  all  the 
other  churches,  it  is  our  duty  to  pray  that  God  would 
bring  confusion  of  face  and  utter  failure  to  every  other 
religious  organization,  that  the  pure  and  real  Gospel 
might  have  free  course  and  be  glorified. 

We  are  taught  that  if  we  expect  God  to  co-operate 
with  us  and  to  grant  answer  to  our  prayers,  if  we  would 
have  Him  co-operate  with  us  in  our  work,  we  must  put 
ourselves  in  accord  with  Him.  Is  it  reasonable  to  sup- 
pose that  God  will  lend  His  aid  to  a  religious  factional 
fight?  Can  we  justify  men  in  praying  that  Presbyter- 
ianism  may  be  blessed  of  God  in  such  a  measure  that 
she  may  overthrow  and  bring  to  nought  the  weighty  er- 
rors of  the  Methodist  Church,  or  the  Baptist  Church, 
or  any  other  church  ?  Why  not  offer  such  a  prayer, 
and  do  so  with  the  expectation  that  God  will  hear  and 
answer?  If  the  Presbyterian  Church  .stands  for  such 
im[)ortaiit  truths,  then  those  denominations  with  which 
she  disagrees  must  be  in  gross  spiritual  darkness,  and 
be  flooding  the  world  with  their  error.  They  ought  to 
be  stopped.  Let  us  pray  that  God  may  stop  them.  If 
the  Presbyterian  Church  hold  any  doctrine  of  theology, 
or  inaintain  any  view  of  churcli  polity  sufncicntly  im- 
portant to  justify  her  breaking  away  from  all  other  or- 
ganizations and  foiiriing  a  separate  and  new  church, 
then  any  church  or  organization  which  denies  these  doc- 


144 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


trinos  or  disregards  the  elements  of  church  polity  is 
guilty  of  downright  sin,  and  should  be  gotten,  if  pos- 
sible, out  of  the  way.  We  ought  upon  all  occasions  to 
pray  that  this  might  be  accomplished.  We  ought  to 
pray  and  to  work  to  bring  to  confusion  all  those 
churches,  sects,  denominations  and  organizations  which 
dispute  these  great  and  important  truths.  Such  bodies 
ought  to  be  brought  to  acknowledge  their  sin,  and  to 
turn  to  the  one  only  and  true  church.  This  line  of  rea- 
soning with  equal  force  would  apply  to  the  other 
churches.  In  our  day  such  an  assumption  appeals  to 
the  humorous.  This  is  because  we  believe  that  our  di- 
visions justify  no  such  assumption.  There  is  something 
wrong  in  our  denominationalism.  The  wrong  is  so  radi- 
cal that  it  demands  heroic  treatment. 

Not  alone  do  we  stultify  ourselves  in  the  work  of  the 
church  by  our  denominational  antagonisms,  in  perpetu- 
ating the  quarrels  of  former  ages,  but  in  such  a  coui-se 
we  also  stultify  ourselves  in  our  relation  to  the  Divine 
Head  of  the  church.  In  a  sense  we  put  ourselves  in  a 
position  similar  to  that  of  the  Rich  Young  man  who 
once  went  to  Christ  asking  what  good  thing  he  must  do 
that  he  might  have  eternal  life.  Wliile  the  young  man 
seems  to  have  been  an  exceptionally  fine  fellow,  for  the 
Master  recognizing  the  excellencies  in  him  loved  him, 
yet  he  lacked  the  essential  thing  which  prepared  him 
for  Divine  service.  He  wanted  to  serve  God,  but  he 
wanted  to  do  it  \inder  such  conditions  as  pleased  himself. 
This  young  man  loved  his  wealth.  Is  it  not  possible  tliat 
in  our  denominational  zeal  we  have  arrived  at  the  point 
where  we  are  ready  to  serve  God,  we  will  keep  all  the 
commandments,  we  will  give  generously  of  our  means,  we 
will  make  sacrifices,  work  hard  and  long,  we  will  fed- 
crate,  glorify  the  spirit  of  union  and  brotherhood,  but 
our  denomination,  our  particular  schism,  this  we  can- 
not give  up?  Like  the  young  man,  we  return  sad,  but 
we  return  to  our  denominationalism. 

It  is  probable  that  with  most  of  us  we  are  dis[)().sed 
to  place  the  blame  for  the  coutiuuauce  of  this  disrupted 


DENOMINATIONALISM  145 


slate  of  the  church  upon  the  other  denominations.  If 
they  were  only  ready  to  make  the  proper  concession  the 
coming  together  would  be  an  easy  matter.  We  desire 
just  as  truly  as  did  the  rich  young  man  to  have  eternal 
life.  We  would  have  a  single  church,  but  we  are  not 
ready  to  give  up  our  own.  Is  it  possible  that,  like  this 
young  man,  we  are  in  danger?  Our  fathers  became  en- 
tangled in  religious  quarrels.  They  became  so  heated 
that,  losing  the  true  Spirit  of  Christ,  refusing  longer 
to  walk  in  fellowship  in  the  same  church,  they  violently 
went  apart.  Now  it  is  true,  that  we,  their  sons,  are  no 
longer  stoning  the  prophets,  but  are  we  not  whitewash- 
ing their  sepulchres?  We  are  still  valiantly  standing 
by  the  guns  which  the  fathers  planted,  and  upon  every 
proper  occasion,  possibly  fancied  proper,  with  the  most 
approved  shells,  and  the  most  deliberate  aim,  we  dis- 
charge them,  sometimes  into  the  camp  of  the  enemy, 
and  sometimes  into  the  air,  that,  by  the  thunder  and 
roar,  we  may  cheer  to  enthusiasm  our  companions,  in  a 
sort  of  "Fourth  of  July"  salute.  Suppose  the  Lord 
to  whom  that  young  man  put  his  question  should  come 
to  us  and  we  should  ask,  "Lord,  what  must  I  do?"  and 
lie  should  say,  "Come  together  in  peace  and  dwell  to- 
gether like  brethren  in  one  house,  in  a  single  church," 
what  would  we  say?  Possibly  something  like  this,  "Yes, 
Lord,  we  have  longed  for  the  unity  of  Thy  church  and 
daily  for  many  years  have  we  prayed  for  its  accom- 
plishment. Lord,  we  are  more  than  ready.  We  would 
gladly  make  any  pos.sible  surrender  for  its  sake,  but 
surely  Thou  wouldst  not  have  me,  with  all  my  brethren, 
repudiate  the  ordination  of  tlu'  fathers,  by  submitting 
to  a  second  ordination,  to  gratify  the  members  of  an- 
other church?"  Or,  "Lord,  we  are  ready  to  do  all 
tilings,  but  surely  Thou  wouldst  not  have  us  disregard 
that  blessed  doctrine  of  Apostolic  succession."  We 
have  noticed  here  but  two  f)()ints,  but  is  it  not  enough 
to  show  that  as  yet  none  of  us  arc  willing  to  give  up  our 
riches'/  IM-csbytci-ians  (tling  lo  their  positions  as  a  ir\at- 
ter  of  religious  principle,  without  wavering.    The  Epis- 


346  THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 

copalians  and  ]\Ietliodists,  the  Baptists,  the  Coiigrcga- 
tioualists,  tlic  Lutherans,  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  all 
the  others  are  just  as  tenacious.  No,  conscientiously, 
we  will  not  yield,  we  will  compromise  no  principle.  We 
each  seek  to  entrench  himself  so  securely  as  to  be  able 
to  defend  himself  against  all  comers.  This  unyielding 
spirit,  found  in  every  Protestant  Church,  is  a  gigantic 
stultifying  force.  Is  it  a  wonder  that  many  of  our 
churches  are  making  slow  progress?  Is  it  strange  that 
under  such  conditions  hundreds  of  church  organizations 
in  our  country  work  hard  for  an  entire  year  and  not 
lead  a  single  soul  to  Christ?  There  is  something  wrong 
in  all  this.  By  our  methods  we  are  retarding  the  ad- 
vance of  the  kingdom  of  God.  It  is  high  time  that  we 
should  pause  and  look  over  the  field  with  an  honest  pur- 
l)ose  to  do  something  to  remedy  the  situation.  That  we 
may  remove  the  reproach  from  the  cause  of  religion 
which  arises  from  our  contentions,  we  must  get  to- 
gether. Sacrifice  will  doubtless  be  necessary,  but  it 
would  be  so  different  in  nature  from  the  sacrifice  which 
is  being  made  to  continue  our  differences,  that  we 
should  meet  it  with  joy.  By  our  holding  aloof,  and  re- 
fusing to  enter  into  union  with  the  other  denomina- 
tions, we  are  stultifying  our  lives.  By  this  course  we 
arc  stultifying  the  influence  of  the  church.  By  this 
course,  in  a  most  important  way  we  are  blocking  in  some 
instances,  and  in  all  instances  retarding  the  progress  of 
the  kingdom  of  God.  Had  Christians  lived  together  in 
unity  and  peace,  walking  in  the  Spirit,  putting  forth 
the  same  efforts  which  have  been  put  forth,  expending 
the  same  amount  of  money,  and  employing  the  same 
number  of  persons  to  extend  the  Gospel  as  we  have,  it 
is  reasonably  sure  that  ere  this  the  world  itself  would 
have  been  evangelized.  We  are  not  doing  our  part.  We 
still  keep  up  our  contentions.  We  quarrel  over  ques- 
tions of  doctrine,  Philosophy,  and  church  polity.  The 
woi'Ui  moves  on  in  sin.  We  will  not  walk  together,  nor 
surrender  some  of  our  shibboleths;  we  rather  stultify 
each  other,  rendering  our  efforts  weak  and  ineffective, 


DENOMINATIONALISM 


147 


than  surrender  sometliing  which  has  survived  from  the 
quarrel  in  which  our  fathers  engaged.  No,  we  Avill  not 
surrender,  we  will  not  walk  together,  the  heathen  na- 
tions must  wait,  and  souls  come  into  this  world,  live 
their  span  of  life  here  and  go  on  out  into  the  unknown 
dai'kness  of  a  faithless,  hopeless  death,  that  we  may 
maintain  the  quarrel  of  generations  ago.  By  our  di- 
visions we  are  stultifying  the  church. 


CHAPTER  IX 


THE  APOSTOLIC  IDEAL 

AS  serious  and  harmful  as  are  the  results  of  denomi- 
"^natioualisra  in  the  light  of  worldly  wisdom  there  is 
a  more  serious,  a  more  appalling  aspect,  which  ap- 
parently religious  leaders  have  been  very  loth  to  con- 
sider, yet  of  such  a  nature  as  seriously  to  interfere  with 
the  onward  movement  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  One 
of  the  acknowledged  conditions  of  the  presence  and  co- 
operation of  Christ  with  His  church  is  obedience.  A 
casual  study  even  of  the  Old  Testament  shows  clearly 
tliat  so  long  as  Israel  walked  with  Jehovah,  so  long  as 
tlie  people  kept  the  Law,  observing  the  religious  rites 
and  ceremonies  which  were  enjoined,  so  long  as  Israel, 
as  a  nation,  was  loyal  to  God,  the  nation  was  strong  and 
prospered  in  all  her  industries  and  was  invincible  be- 
fore her  enemies.  The  moment  that  there  was  neglect 
of  the  Law,  carelessness  in  the  observance  of  religious 
obligations,  embarrassment  and  confusion  with  dishonor 
appeared.  This  extended  even  to  the  forces  of  nature. 
'^I'he  rain  was  withheld,  locusts  and  caterpillars  appeared 
in  such  numbers  as  to  destroy  whole  fields  of  grain.  The 
I'liilistines  came  over  the  Judean  mountains,  and  the 
fields  of  Judah  were  devastated  and  her  towns  and  cities 
overthrown.  The  Moabites  coming  up  from  the  East, 
the  l^nlomitcs  from  the  South,  and  Syrians  and  Assyrians 
coming  down  from  the  North,  plundered  the  land, 
sacked  the  cities  and  carried  the  young  men  and  women 
into  captivity.  When  the  people  listened  to  their 
prophets  and  turned  from  their  evil  ways  the  drought 
ceased,  locusts  and  caterpillars  disappeared,  the  enemies 
of  the  nation  were  defeated  and  driven  from  the  couu- 

148 


THE  APOSTOLIC  IDEAL 


149 


try  and  prosperity  again  returned.  Over  and  over  this 
mode  of  diseii)line  was  brought  out  on  the  pages  of  the 
Old  Testament.  It  is  made  unmistakably  plain  that  this 
was  God's  method  of  dealing  with  His  church  during 
the  days  of  the  Prophets.  Obedience  to  His  will  ever 
brought  prosperity.  Disobedience,  or  failure  to  keep 
His  Law,  always  brought  defeat  and  misfortune.  There 
is  want  of  evidence  to  show  that  under  the  New  Testa- 
ment dispensation  there  has  been  any  radical  change  in 
the  Divine  method  of  government.  We  do  find  on  the 
other  hand  evidence  that  the  same  general  method  still 
prevails.  In  tlie  Gospels  and  throughout  the  Epistles 
there  are  statements  which  indicate  that  an  important 
condition  of  God 's  favor,  of  receiving  His  blessing,  upon 
which  depends  the  prosperity  of  His  church,  is  obedi- 
ence to  the  Law  and  submission  to  His  will.  Among 
the  commandments,  the  one  which  is  peculiarlj^  the  com- 
mandment of  the  New  Testament  is  that  the  brethren 
ought  to  love  one  another.  The  New  Testament  empha- 
sizes the  necessity  of  brotherly  love  and  mutual  forbear- 
ance.   There  must  be  agreement. 

From  many  statements  in  the  Epistles,  as  well  as  from 
some  of  the  commandments  of  Christ,  it  is  evident  that 
both  Jesus  and  the  Apostles  foresaw  the  coming  discord, 
resulting  from  differences  of  opinion  which  would  be- 
come so  intense  as  to  disrupt  the  church.  Foreseeing 
such  a  situation,  they  did  not  remain  silent  concerning 
it.  Christ  most  emphatically  spoke  of  the  duty  of  genu- 
ine unity  in  the  church.  St.  Paul  was  just  as  decided, 
insisting  that  there  should  be  no  divisions.  The  Lord 
l(!ft  many  of  the  details  of  church  organization  to  be 
settled  as  they  might  arise,  and  by  the  church.  In  such 
instances  she  was  permitted  to  follow  expediency,  or  to 
work  out  as  best  she  might  the  problems  of  the  hour. 
Among  these  things  we  find  all  such  questions  as  arise 
concerning  guilds,  Sunday  Schools,  societies  of  men  and 
women,  young  [X'oplc's  societies,  and  the  various  Com- 
mittees and  iJoai'ds  by  means  of  which  the  benevolence 
of  the  diurch  is  carried  forward.    Concerning  all  these 


150 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


things  the  Scriptures  aro  silent.  The  church  was  left 
free  to  adopt  one  method  and  after  a  time,  when  it 
seemed  wise,  to  put  it  aside  and  adopt  another.  Here 
we  might  raise  the  question,  Was  it  the  purpose  of 
Christ  that  His  church  should  remain,  as  He  left  her, 
one,  or  was  she  to  be  divided  and  subdivided  into  many 
parts?  If  she  were  to  be  divided,  was  it  His  desire  that 
the  divisions  should  be  deliberate,  that  each  division 
should  be  an  organic  part  of  the  whole,  or  would  He 
have  these  divisions  rise  over  difference  of  opinions, 
quarrels,  and  so  intense  bitterness  that  the  division  in 
each  case  should  be  a  violent  disruption?  The  authori- 
tative answer  to  such  a  question  comes  not  from  ec- 
clesiastical Conferences,  Conventions,  Synods,  Assem- 
blies, nor  is  it  to  be  settled  by  discussion,  however  wise 
and  logical,  nor  is  the  preference  and  judgment  of  men, 
or  expediency  to  determine  whether  the  church  shall  be 
one  or  one  hundred  and  fifty.  As  with  the  Holy  Sacra- 
ments of  Baptism  and  The  Lord's  Supper  in  this  mat- 
ter, the  church  is  given  no  choice.  She  must  obey  her 
Lord. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  examine  every  possible  refer- 
ence either  in  the  Gospels  or  the  Epistles,  which  could 
be  brought  to  bear  upon  this  subject.  Our  aim  will  be 
to  bring  out  the  teachings  of  the  Scriptures  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  unity  of  the  church.  Does  the  New  Testa- 
ment teach  anything  on  the  subject,  and  if  it  does,  what? 
Does  the  New  Testament  leave  it  to  any  group  of  believ- 
ers to  determine  for  itself  whether  it  shall  remain  in  the 
same  organization  with  some  other  group  of  believers, 
or  whether  it  shall  go  out  and  organize  a  church  of 
its  own?  Does  the  New  Testament,  when  fairly  inter- 
preted, require  the  organic  unity  of  the  church? 

During  His  public  ministry  our  Lord  gathered  about 
Him  a  group  of  persons,  in  number  possibly  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty,  who  after  His  ascension,  and  until 
Pentecost,  met  in  an  upper  room  in  Jerusalem.  There 
may  have  been  many  others  who  might  be  considered 
as  sympathizers,  and  some  who  actually  entertained 


THE  APOSTOLIC  IDEAL 


151 


faith  in  Christ,  more  or  less  secretly,  not  included  in 
the  nninber  given  above.  Among  these  believers  there 
was  a  smaller  and  more  select  circle,  the  Apostles,  who, 
that  they  might  be  si)iritually  equipped  so  as  to  be  able 
to  take  np  and  carry  on  the  work  which  had  been  started 
by  Christ,  had  been  given  special  training.  They  were 
carefully  trained  in  the  doctrines  of  the  new  organiza- 
tion. The  general  principles  upon  which  the  church 
was  to  be  based  were  carefully  taught  them.  Growing 
out  of  this  situation  we  have  two  lines  along  which  ap- 
pears the  New  Testament  teaching  concerning  the  unity 
of  the  church.  First,  Christ  was  not  silent  in  His  teach- 
ing of  the  twelve  concerning  this  unity.  In  His  conver- 
sations with  them  from  first  to  last  the  Master  appears 
to  have  had  in  mind  an  undivided  church.  It  seems 
quite  improbable  that  when  He  said,  "Upon  this  rock 
will  I  build  my  church,"  that  He  had  in  mind  a  collec- 
tion of  separate  and  independent  organizations.  He 
must  have  meant  a  body  of  believers  so  bound  together 
as  to  form  a  xmit,  one  organic  whole,  not  many 
churches,  but  a  single  church.  He  taught  with  unmis- 
takable clearness  that  a  "House  divided  against  itself" 
would  not  stand.  He  taught  that  here  was  "one  fold" 
and  "one  shepherd."  In  all  His  teachings  we  find  great 
emphasis  upon  the  necessity  of  His  followers  loving  one 
another.  One  of  the  most  solemn  and  impressive  acts 
of  His  life,  closely  connected  both  in  time  and  logical 
order  with  the  Sacrament  of  the  Supper,  is  the  wash- 
ing of  the  disciples'  feet.  This  act  seemed  to  have  been 
connected  with  a  dispute  among  the  Apostles  on  their 
way  to  the  upper  room.  They  were  about  to  eat  \]\v 
Passover  and  they  anticipated  that  some  great  thing 
which  they  had  long  expected  was  about  to  take  place, 
the  Kingdom  was  to  be  established.  What  places  should 
they  occupy?  It  was  concerning  the  distribution  of  the 
places  in  the  anticipated  new  government  which  was 
the  occasion  of  their  disagreement.  There  seems  to  have 
been  developed  a  measures  of  bitterness,  and  boeau.so 
Jesus  would  have  no  divisions  of  any  kind  among  His 


]52 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


followers  He  took  a  most  graphic  manner  to  impress 
them  with  the  spirit  of  humility  which  was  the  basis  of 
unity.  In  this  connection  He  taught  the  obligation  of 
Christian  love.  "By  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye 
are  my  disciples,  if  ye  love  one  another."  The  love 
which  made  it  possible  for  brethren  to  dwell  together  in 
unity  was  an  important  evidence  of  the  Divine  mission 
of  Christ.  At  the  same  time  it  afforded  an  unmistakable 
proof  of  genuine  discipleship.  One  would  scarcely  sup- 
pase  that  He  had  in  mind  that  kind  of  love  which  would 
permit  such  intense  disagreements  that  Ilis  followers 
would  be  unable  to  work  together,  or  even  to  continue  in 
the  same  organization.  In  the  sacerdotal  prayer  of  our 
Lord,  recorded  by  St.  John,  Jesus  expresses  Himself  on 
this  subject  in  an  unmistakable  manner.  He  prayed 
for  His  immediate  followers,  those  who  had  received  in- 
struction from  His  lips,  that  they  might  be  sanctified 
through  His  word.  He  continues,  "Neither  pray  I  for 
these  alone,  but  for  them  also  which  shall  believe  on 
me  through  their  word;  that  they  all  may  be  one,  as 
Thou,  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  Thee,  that  they  also 
may  be  one  in  us ;  that  the  world  may  believe  that  Thou 
hast  sent  me."  (John  XVII:  20,  21.)  The  unity  which 
Jesus  here  has  in  mind  cannot  have  been  the  unity  of 
the  individual  believer  in  the  Father.  Had  this  been 
what  He  meant  He  could  easily  have  said  it.  He  prays 
for  those  who  might  believe  on  Him,  that  "they  all 
might  be  0)ie,"  just  as  He  and  the  Father  are  one.  As 
clearly  as  Greek  could  be  made  to  say  it  He  prays  for 
the  unity  of  His  disciples,  that  they  all  might  be  one. 
If  this  were  not  what  He  prayed  for,  and  had  He  de- 
sired to  pray  for  just  this  organic  unity,  how  could  He 
have  done  it?  It  therefore  appears  somewhat  as  though 
those  who  contend  that  this  does  not  mean  a  unity 
ainong  them.selves,  but  with  the  Father,  and  this  in  no 
wise  is  a  reference  to  organic  unity,  were  so  embarrassed 
by  tliis  portion  of  this  prayer  that  they  felt  it  must  be 
explained  in  some  rather  strained  way.  They  will  not 
admit  that  it  means  what  it  seems  to,  for  this  would  con- 


THE  APOSTOLIC  IDEAL 


153 


demn  them  in  their  denominationalism.  They  must 
have  denominationalism,  so  the  Scriptures  shall  not  be 
permitted  to  condemn  it. 

In  order  that  this  unity  for  which  Christ  prayed  may 
become  evidence  to  the  unbelieving  world,  one  of  two 
things  must  be  true.  The  world  must  either  accept  the 
statement  of  believers,  despite  every  appearance  to  the 
contrary  that  they  are  in  mystical  union  with  Christ 
and  the  Father,  or  else  there  must  be  such  external  evi- 
dence that  those  who  are  unbelieving  and  unsympathetic 
critics  of  the  church  shall  see  such  clear  proof  of  this 
-love  in  the  lives  of  believers  that,  being  unable  to  ques- 
tion it,  they  will  be  forced  to  admit  it.  In  the  connec- 
tion in  which  Jesus  offered  His  petition  for  the  oneness 
of  His  followers  it  seems  so  clear  that  all  must  admit 
that  the  proof  was  to  be  found  in  the  external  lives  of 
Christians.  The  evidence  could  be  seen  so  plainly  by 
their  enemies  that  they  would  be  compelled  to  recognize 
it.  It  was  such  a  oneness  of  Christ's  followers  as  would 
appeal  to  unbelieving  men  who  would  be  glad  to  see 
something  else,  such  an  appeal  as  would  clearly  reveal 
the  love  of  God.  Christ  earnestly  prayed  for  a  oneness 
of  believers,  that  by  means  of  it  the  world  might  be 
forced  to  admit  that  the  Father  had  sent  Him.  It  could 
not  have  been  merely  some  kind  of  internal  experience. 
It  must  have  been  something  which  was  conspicuous  ex- 
ternally. It  was  such  evidence  as  would  appeal  to  un- 
spiritual  men.  Such  a  oneness  of  the  church  could  be 
nothing  less  than  organic  unity. 

Persons  taking  the  opposite  position  would  have  us 
believe  that  such  a  unity  was  not  at  all  in  the  mind  of 
Christ.  They  would  have  us  believe  that  He  actually 
prayed,  not  that  the  church  might  be  one,  not  for  unity 
among  the  disciples,  but  tliat  I'cter,  and  .lohii,  Thomas, 
Saul,  Uarnabas,  and  all  who  should  come  to  believe  on 
Him  througii  llieir  teaching,  should  he  one  with  -Jesus 
and  tlie  Father.  The  unity  is  not  witii  each  other,  but 
with  (Jod.  Il  is  further  suggested  by  those  who  accept 
this  interpretation  that  this  oneness  of  the  individual 


154 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


disciple  with  God  becomes  the  evidence  referred  to  in 
the  last  clause  of  the  twenty-first  verse  (John  XVII), 
where  Christ  prayed,  ' '  That  they  also  may  be  one  in  us : 
that  the  world  may  believe  that  Thou  hast  sent  me." 
When  the  individual  believer  comes  into  spiritual  unity 
with  God,  this  unity  is  an  evidence  to  the  world  that 
God  the  Eternal  Father  has  sent  His  well-beloved  Son 
as  its  Redeemer.  This  is  the  argument.  Such  reason- 
ing to  some  of  us  appears  as  far  from  conclusive.  If 
we  approach  the  argument  based  upon  this  interpreta- 
tion in  the  spirit  of  modern  criticism,  and  commence  to 
seek  for  a  reason  why  the  more  natural  interpretation 
has  been  discarded,  and  what  appears  as  the  more 
strained  and  unnatural  interpretation  adopted,  we  have 
not  far  to  go.  The  sufficient  motive  is  seen  in  the  argu- 
ment itself.  In  the  civil  courts  it  is  considered  neces- 
sary to  take  into  consideration  the  evidence  of  preju- 
dice, or  personal  interest  in  any  testimony,  which  a  wit- 
ness may  give.  Personal  interest  disqualifies  either 
judge  or  juror.  "We  are  justified  in  raising  the  ques- 
tion. Does  interest  in  any  position  render  the  mind  un- 
reliable in  its  judgments?  In  this  argument  unless  we 
would  condemn  the  church,  and  the  position  which  we 
have  held,  we  must  find  some  other  way  to  interpret  this 
prayer  of  our  Lord  than  the  natural  one.  The  attempt 
to  justify  the  position  of  the  Protestant  Church  in  her 
divided  state  furnishes  a  motive  sufficient  to  give  the 
reason  why  such  an  effort  has  been  made.  Being  a 
Protestant,  to  justify  the  breaking  up  of  the  body  of 
Christ  into  denominations  it  is  necessary  to  find  in  this 
prayer  some  other  kind  of  unity  than  organic.  Con- 
sistency made  it  necessary  to  find  a  unity  which  would 
not  condemn  disruption  because  of  controversy,  and 
want  of  agreement,  and  brotherly  love.  It  is  therefore 
necessary  to  say  that  it  cannot  mean  external  organic 
unity.  We  must  find  another  unity.  So  it  was  found. 
Therefore  it  must  mean  to  be  joined  to  God.  It  does 
not  mean  that  Christians  sliould  bo  one  with  each  other, 
which  seems  most  natural,  and  which  we  would  expect 


THE  APOSTOLIC  IDEAL 


155 


the  Master  would  command,  but  it  means,  what  seems 
strange  and  unmeaning,  that  they  must  be  one  with  God. 
It  is  also  not  without  interest,  and  should  bear  upon  our 
study  of  the  prayer,  that  in  the  earliest  history  of  the 
church  it  was  universally  believed  that  the  passage 
meant  the  organic  unity  of  the  church.  This  was  the 
way  the  passage  was  interpreted  for  more  than  sixteen 
hundred  years.  After  quarrels  had  arisen,  and  the 
church  had  been  split  again  and  again,  after  the  ap- 
pearance of  Protestantism,  for  we  must  admit  this,  it 
was  found  desirable  to  find  a  new  interpretation  which 
would  not  so  plainly  condemn  schisms.  Until  this  condi- 
tion arose  none  had  questioned  the  kind  of  unity  in  the 
Master's  mind  as  expressed  in  this  prayer.  As  soon  as 
the  gi-eat  break  other  breaks  appeared,  and  the  new  con- 
ditions needed  justification.  It  was  at  this  point  that 
this  new  interpretation  was  found.  It  would  suggest 
that  the  coimnentator  who  was  a  schismatic,  in  a  sense, 
sought  to  justify  himself  and  his  church.  No  one  would 
ever  think  of  quoting  this  passage  as  in  any  measure  a 
justification  of  such  a  want  of  harmony  among  believ- 
ers as  to  make  it  impossible  for  them  to  live  together  in 
peace.  If  in  a  church  there  appeared  two  factions  and 
between  them  arose  a  controversy  which  became  so  sharp 
that  they  both  saw  the  inevitable  coming  disruption,  is 
it  supposable  that  either  party  would  refer  to  this 
prayer  as  a  justification  for  their  violently  rending 
asunder  the  company  of  believers?  "Would  some  saint, 
after  the  disruption  had  taken  place,  while  preaching 
to  a  crowd  of  godless  scoffers,  feel  justified  in  pointing 
to  the  spirit  which  led  to  such  a  painful  experience  as 
evidence  of  the  oneness  of  Christians  in  God?  Is  it  not 
logical  that  when  the  ungodly  behold  tlio  church  of 
Christ  violently  torn  asunder  because  of  bitter  disagree- 
ment, and  see  party  spirit  become  so  ungovernable  that 
a  whole  brood  of  church  oiganizations  has  come  into 
existence  they  should  look  upon  the  many  ecclesiastical 
organizations  as  evidence  of  want  of  unity  between  tlie 
professed  discii)les  and  God?    In  mission  fields  the 


156 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


world  over,  this  want  of  harmony,  this  spirit  of  con- 
tention has  in  such  a  measure  interfered  with  the 
spread  of  tlie  Gospel  that  the  great  leading  church 
organizations  have  agreed  to  keep  away  from  each  other, 
so  that  the  want  of  agreement  and  brotherhood  might 
not  be  recognized,  and  to  aid  in  securing  this  end,  have 
so  divided  the  heathen  world  among  themselves,  that 
there  may  be  but  a  single  church  organization  in  a  given 
section  of  a  country.  We  may  as  well  recognize  at 
the  outset  that  any  attempt  to  interpret  this  prayer 
as  not  referring  to  organic  unity  fails  to  command  the 
confidence  of  those  who  are  not  Christians.  Persons 
seeking  to  maintain  such  an  interpretation  seem  to  ox\t- 
siders  to  be  not  quite  honest.  To  the  ungodly  such 
reasoning  seems  clumsy,  an  awkward  endeavor  to  es- 
cape an  uncomfortable  truth.  It  looks  like  a  want  of 
candor. 

Turning  from  the  question  of  the  interpretation  of 
this  particular  passage  let  us  seek  in  other  portions 
of  the  New  Testament  some  evidence  of  the  way  in 
which  the  prayer  was  understood  by  the  men  so  near 
the  Lord  as  clearly  to  understand  Him.  Then  we  may 
look  at  some  of  the  statements  of  Christ,  and  sec  if  they 
agree  with  one  or  the  other  of  the  interpretations. 

We  find  Christ  teaching  that  in  unity  among  believers 
there  is  power  with  God.  "If  two  of  you  shall  agree 
on  earth  as  touching  anything  that  they  shall  ask,  it 
shall  be  done  for  them  of  my  Father  which  is  in 
heaven."  (Matt.  XVIII:  19.)  It  is  fair  that  we  sup- 
pose the  carefulness  of  the  author  of  the  Acts  to  men- 
tion the  fact  that  at  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  on 
Pentecost,  ' '  They  were  all  with  one  accord  in  one  place, ' ' 
was  not  without  a  purpose.  While  there  may  have 
been  differences  of  opinion  at  that  time  there  had  been 
no  split  or  division  in  the  church.  Early  in  the  church 
there  appeared  just  the  same  kind  of  tendencies  as 
those  which  later  made  themselves  felt.  First  there 
arose  a  controversy  in  the  church  in  Jerusalem  over 
the  distribution  of  alms.   A  party  appeared,  which  felt 


THE  APOSTOLIC  IDEAL 


157 


aggrieved  over  the  manner  in  which  the  Apostles  man- 
aged this  part  of  the  church  Avork.  It  was  claimed 
tljat  tliere  was  unfairness,  that  the  widows  of  the  Greek 
speaking  part  of  the  church  did  not  receive  their  full 
share  of  aid.  It  is  probable  that  had  such  an  occa- 
sion arisen  during  the  last  three  hundred  years  the 
Greek  portion  of  the  church  would  have  broken  away 
from  the  main  body  and  organized  themselves  into  a 
new  church.  But  this  was  not  the  kind  of  unity  for 
which  the  blaster  prayed,  and  those  who  were  at  the 
head  of  the  church  believed  that  a  division  would  have 
been  wrong.  At  once  measures  were  taken  to  conciliate 
the  malcontents.  There  was  no  examination  to  discover 
what  might  be  just,  but  an  effort  was  made  to  placate 
those  who  thought  there  had  been  injustice.  This  ef- 
fort was  so  far  reaching  as  essentially  to  modify  the 
form  of  government  of  the  entire  church.  A  new  of- 
fice, the  diaconate,  was  established,  and  the  discontent 
subsided.  A  few  years  later,  possibly  thirty,  at  Antioch 
a  great  controversy  arose  concerning  whether  Gentile 
Christians  should  be  compelled  to  conform  to  the  cere- 
monial law  of  the  Hebrews.  This  led  to  the  most  im- 
portant gathering  of  Christendom  in  Apostolic  times. 
Jeru.saleiu  was  the  place  of  meeting.  Representatives 
of  the  new  movement  in  Antioch,  the  Gentile  center  of 
the  church,  led  by  Barnabas  and  St.  Paul,  defended 
the  Gentile  position.  While  the  victory  of  the  new  move- 
ment was  but  partial,  leading  to  a  compromise,  there  was 
no  split  in  the  church.  The  men  who  were  assembled 
in  Jerusalem  at  this  time,  among  whom  were  the  Apos- 
ties,  who  had  been  the  companions  of  the  Lord,  believed 
that  at  all  hazards,  they  must  maintain  the  unity  of 
the  church.  While  each  faction  was  as  much  interested 
as  any  factions  ever  were,  while  as  great  a  principle  was 
at  stake  as  ever  confronted  the  churcli  they  were  held 
together,  by  the  authority  of  the  Apostles,  at  the  saeri- 
lice  of  what  one  section  of  tlie  church  considered  was 
a  very  serious  surnMidcr.  .  'I'he  whole  course  followed 
at  this  time  should  have  no  slight  iulluence  in  determiu- 


158 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


ing  our  views  concerning  the  justification  of  church 
divisions. 

Among  all  the  different  modern  denominations  no- 
where is  there  involved  principles  of  greater  moment 
to  the  life  of  the  church,  principles,  apparently  more 
firmly  grounded  in  the  direct  commandments  of  God 
than  was  the  principle  which  was  the  occasion  of  this 
controversy.  No  question  was  ever  piished  with  more 
zeal,  or  greater  determination,  or  more  conscientious 
scruples  than  appeared  in  this.  It  involved  elements 
which  affected  the  life  of  the  church,  as  well  as  the 
Christian  character  of  her  members.  It  was  more  than 
a  (piestion  of  peace ;  it  was  a  question  of  right  and 
wrong.  But  under  such  conditions  as  appeared  in  this, 
the  Apostles,  though  themselves  upon  different  sides, 
could  not  permit  a  divided  church.  Knowing  the  will 
of  the  ]\Iaster  as  well  as  they  did,  authorized,  as  they 
were,  to  complete  the  organization  of  the  church,  they 
did  not  attempt  to  explain,  or  convince,  or  to  force  the 
submission  of  the  minority,  but  they  did  determine  that 
the  organic  unity  of  the  church  should  not  be  de- 
stroyed. 

On  another  occasion  two  of  the  most  prominent  labor- 
ers in  the  Gentile  section  of  the  church  became  involved 
in  a  personal  difference,  involving,  as  they  both  be- 
lieved the  purity  of  the  life  of  the  church.  It  per- 
tained to  the  personnel  of  the  company  which  should 
go  out  on  one  of  the  missionary  journeys.  While  their 
controversy  was  vigorous,  while  each  was  conscientious 
and  theii-  personal  feelings  were  stirred  to  a  great  de- 
gree, so  that  it  was  deemed  wise  to  break  company, 
unable  longer  to  work  harmoniously  together,  they  were 
unwilling  that  there  should  be  a  disniption  of  the 
church.  Such  a  thing  they  seemed  to  have  believed 
would  be  a  catastrophe,  at  all  costs  to  be  avoided. 
Barnabas  went  his  way,  and  St.  Paul  went  his  way, 
each  selecting  his  own  associates,  but  both  keeping 
witliiu  file  .same  organized  church. 

It  was  not  many  years  after  this  that  St.  Paul  wrote 


THE  APOSTOLIC  IDEAL 


159 


a  letter  to  a  church  which  he  had  gathered,  trained  and 
organized,  at  the  commercial  city  of  Corinth.  During 
his  absence  a  factious  spirit  had  appeared.  Contro- 
versies had  arisen  which  had  divided  the  Corinthian 
cliurch  into  four,  shall  we  call  them,  denominations. 
The  chnrch  was  in  imminent  danger  of  disruption. 
Party  was  earnestly  contending  with  party,  and  so  seri- 
ous was  the  strain  that  the  trouble  was  reported  to 
the  Apostle.  St.  Paul  does  not  seem  even  to  have  con- 
sidered the  great  advantages,  arising  from  competing 
church  organizations,  that  healthful  type  of  religious 
oiiulation,  which  would  have  stimulated  the  Corinthian 
cliurch  to  a  greater  zeal  in  the  service  of  God,  but 
with  the  intense  earnestness  of  his  strong  nature,  hor- 
rified by  the  thought  of  a  possible  division  he  pleaded 
ill  the  strongest  terms  for  the  organic  unity  of  the 
church.  He  admonished  them  lest  the  church  be 
w  recked.  Notice  the  earnestness  and  pathos  of  his  ap- 
fjeal.  "Now  I  beseech  you  by  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  that  ye  all  speak  the  same  thing,  and 
that  there  be  no  divisions  among  you;  but  that  ye  be 
perfectly  joined  together  in  the  same  mind  and  in  the 
>ame  judgment.  For  it  hath  been  declared  unto  me,  my 
brethren,  by  them  which  are  of  the  house  of  Chloe,  that 
there  be  contentions  among  you.  Now  this  I  say,  that 
very  one  of  you  saith,  I  am  of  Paul;  and  I  of  Apollos; 
and  I  of  Cephas;  and  I  of  Christ."  This  sounds  very 
much  like  the  divisions  of  the  modem  church.  With 
all  the  earnestness  of  his  inten.se  nature  St.  Paul,  be- 
holding the  danger,  pleaded  with  these  contentious 
Christians  for  unity.  "Was  it  a  unity  with  God,  a 
kind  of  spiritual  unity,  a  onene&s  of  the  individual  be- 
liever with  Christ?  Was  it  the  kind  of  unity  which 
Jesus  had  with  the  Father?  He  besought  lliem  that 
there  be  no  divisions  among  them.  That  which  he  so 
much  deplored  was  the  danger  of  destroying  their  or- 
franie  unity.  lie  continues,  "Is  Christ  divided?  was 
I'aul  cru(!ified  for  you?  or  were  ye  baj)tized  in  the  name 
of  Paul?"    It  is  safe  to  suppose  that  at  this  time  St. 


160 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


Paul,  the  great  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  had  a  fairly 
clear  conception  of  the  kind  of  unity  for  which  ('lirist 
prayed.  So  far  as  we  find  from  his  letter,  his  great 
solicitude  was  concerning  the  possible  external  divisions 
of  the  church.  He  pleads  in  the  name  of  Christ,  in 
tlie  most  solemn  manner  possible,  that  there  be  no  such 
divisions  among  them.  He  then  proceeds  to  touch  most 
significantly,  if  not  proplietieally,  upon  the  kind  of 
divisions  which  threatened  the  disruption  and  the  weak- 
ening of  the  church.  There  had  grown  up  an  Apollos 
party,  a  Paul  party,  a  Peter  party,  and  a  Christ  party. 
These  sects  were  contending  with  each  other  very  much 
as  did  Luther,  Calvin,  Zwingle,  and  others  in  the  day 
of  the  Reformation,  and  as  did  their  followers,  Wesley, 
Alexander  Campbell  and  the  great  host  of  contending 
Christians  in  later  times.  These  devoted  men  were  so 
conscientious,  and  loyal  to  Christ,  that  it  was  impossible 
for  them  to  dwell  in  peace  with  their  brethren,  except 
they  bear  the  name  of  Luther,  Calvin,  Wesley,  Campbell, 
or  accept  some  shibboleth  of  a  similar  import.  It  seems 
certainly  evident  that  St.  Paul  was  putting  forth  his 
great  influence,  using  all  the  autliority  of  his  holy  office 
as  an  Apostle,  that  he  might  lead  these  factious  Cor- 
i)itliians  back  into  genuine  Christian  unity.  This  unity 
as  seen  by  St.  Paul  appears  to  have  been  a  unity  in 
which  these  contending  discordant  parties  should  disap- 
pear and  the  beloved  church  at  Corinth  should  be  one, 
even  as  Christ  and  the  Father  were  one.  This  unity 
was,  whatever  else  it  might  have  been,  an  external, 
organic  unity.  This  view  of  church  unity  is  still  fur- 
ther brought  to  light  in  I  Corinthians,  Chapter  XII. 
After  explaining  at  considerable  length  how  many  mem- 
bers of  the  church  make  one  body,  and  that  while  .soTue 
members  are  engaged  in  one  line  of  activity,  others 
in  other  activities,  that  while  some  hold  one  position 
aiid  others  hold  different  positions,  like  the  members  of 
llie  j)hysical  body,  all  tlie  j)arts,  hand,  eye,  foot,  all  the 
members  go  to  make  the  one  body,  and  that  God  hath 
set  these  parts  in  the  body  as  it  has  pleased  Him.  God 


THE  APOSTOLIC  IDEAL 


161 


is  rei)reseutocl  as  doiiif?  this,  so  that  there  "should  be 
no  schism  in  the  body ;  but  that  the  members  should 
have  the  same  care  one  of  another."  The  Apostle  then 
mentions  the  various  officers  of  the  church,  commenc- 
ing with  the  Apostles.  "Now  are  ye  the  body  of  Christ, 
and  members  in  particular,  and  God  hath  set  some  in  the 
church,  first  Apostles,  secondarily,  prophets,  thirdly, 
teachers,  after  that  miracles,  then  gifts  of  healings,  helps, 
governments,  diversities  of  tongues."  The  thought  is 
that  God  has  done  this,  established  these  various  of- 
fices in  the  church,  in  order  "that  there  should  be  no 
schism  in  the  body"  of  Christ.  It  is  impossible  to 
interpret  this  chapter  in  any  other  way  than  as  re- 
ferring to  the  church  as  a  body,  composed  of  indi- 
viduals, each  bearing  his  relation  to  other  individuals, 
and  to  the  body  as  a  whole.  It  is  evident  that  the 
Apostles  did  not  intend  to  limit  the  application  of  the 
principle  which  lie  was  discussing  to  a  single  congrega- 
tion of  Christians.  Neither  can  we  suppose  that  he 
would  limit  this  application  to  the  church  of  a  single 
province,  or  of  any  age.  The  organic  body  which  St. 
Paul  had  in  mind,  the  church,  was  the  whole  company 
of  believers  in  all  cities  and  in  every  province.  The 
little  church  at  Corinth  did  not  number  an  Apostle 
among  its  members.  This  was  an  officer  who  belonged 
to  the  whole  church,  the  organic  church  including  the 
entire  body  of  Christians.  Wliile  this  is  true,  the 
Apostle  was  pleading  with  the  Christians  at  Corinth 
that  they  should  cease  to  be  factious,  that  the  divisions 
among  them  might  be  healed,  for  the  great  church  of 
Christ,  as  a  whoh;,  that  organization  at  the  head  of  which 
were  the  men  known  as  the  Apostles,  must  not  be  di- 
vided. That  a  division  shoidd  take  place  in  a  single 
community,  like  (Corinth,  in  the  mind  of  St.  Paul,  was 
to  divide  the  church,  to  divide  the  body  of  ('hrist.  He 
plead(!d  that  Ihcre  shoidd  be  no  divisions  in  the  Co- 
rinthian church,  for  this  would  divide  the  body  of 
Christ.  In  tliis  chapter  the  Apostle  goes  so  far  as 
clearly  to  imply  that  he  beiicved  that  God  Himself 


162  THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE  j 

greatly  desired  the  unity  of  the  church,  consequently 
for  any  person,  or  any  number  of  persons  to  introduce  i 
divisions  was  violently  to  divide  the  body  of  Christ,  j 
and  by  so  doing  to  bring  upon  their  heads  the  dis-  j 
pleasure  of  God.  It  is  just  as  true  that  contending  ; 
congregations,  out  of  sympathy  with  the  Great  Head  of  I 
the  church,  destroy  their  spiritual  power.  This  twelfth  \ 
chapter  of  First  Corinthians  is  full  of  suggestions  to  one 
who  would  understand  what  the  Apostle  believed  con-  ' 
cerning  the  organic  unity  of  the  church.  ^ 

Should  we  for  a  moment  assume  that  in  this  chap- 
ter the  Apostle  had  in  mind  only  the  congregation  in  : 
Corinth  we  would  still  be  forced  to  the  conviction  that  | 
the  chapter  is  a  fervid  plea  for  the  organic  unity  of 
all  the  church.    If  it  be  so  essential  to  the  welfare  of 
the  church  that  in  each  little  congregation  there  should 
be  perfect  unity  are  we  not  to  suppose  that  it  is  at 
least  just  as  essential  that  the  different  congregations 
should  be  in  peace  and  unity  with  each  other?  This 
must  mean  a  peace  which  enables  them  to  abide  in  one 
body,  in  Christ,  as  an  organic  whole.    As  we  recognize 
that  for  two  Christians  to  quarrel,  to  anathematize  each  'i 
other,  and  to  seek  to  cast  each  other  out  of  the  church,  * 
is  a  sinful,  wicked  thing,  to  increase  the  number  to  four, 
ten,  twenty,  five  hundred,  twenty  thousand,  an  hundred  | 
thousand,  instead  of  taking  away  the  sin  multiplies  it  i 
many  fold.    In  such  large  companies  the  spirit  of  dis-  I 
cord  becomes  so  powerful  as  to  be  disastrous  to  the  ] 
church.    The  evil  done  by  the  larger  number  is  far  I 
greater  when  this  divisive  spirit  appears,  and  such  a  . 
course  brings  far  greater  dishonor  upon  the  fair  name  j 
of  our  Lord.   Such  a  widespread  dissention  to  a  greater  | 
degree  weakens  the  entire  church.  ! 

The  entire  spirit  of  the  New  Testament  is  such  as 
to  impress  upon  the  reader  the  transcendent  obliga- 
tion to  love  the  brethren.  This  obligation  is  illustrated 
by  the  love  of  God  for  His  servants.  The  First  Epistle 
of  John  well  sets  forth  the  spirit  of  the  Gospels.  "Be- 
loved, if  God  so  loved  us  we  ought  also  to  love  one 


THE  APOSTOLIC  IDEAL 


163 


another."  (I  John  IV:11.)  In  his  Epistle  to  the 
Romans  St.  Paul  employs  a  similar  fi^re  to  the  one 
which  he  used  in  Corinthians.  In  the  same  Epistle  we 
find  an  exhortation  to  avoid  divisions.  For  the  breth- 
ren to  cause  divisions  is  to  be  disloyal  to  the  church 
and  to  God.  "Now  I  beseech  you,  brethren,  mark  them 
which  cause  divisions  and  ol¥ences  contrary  to  the 
doctrine  which  we  have  learned,  and  avoid  them,  for 
they  that  are  such  serve  not  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 
(Rom.  XVI  :17.)  The  same  Apostle  exhorts  the  Ephes- 
ians  to  "Keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond  of 
peace."  (Bph.  IV :3.)  To  the  Colossians  he  writes, 
* '  Let  the  peace  of  God  rule  in  your  hearts,  to  the  which 
also  ye  are  called  in  one  body."    (Col.  Ill  :15.) 

As  we  read  these,  and  similar  passages,  one  instinc- 
tively raises  the  question,  do  these  exhortations  and 
commands  simply  apply  to  the  persons  addressed,  or 
have  they  a  wider  bearing,  applying  with  equal  force 
to  the  men  and  church  of  all  ages?  Do  these  state- 
ments refer  to  local  situations,  or  do  we  find  in  them 
the  discussion  of  great  fundamental  principles  which 
bear  upon  Christendom  ?  The  obligation  to  maintain  the 
unity  of  the  church  rested  upon  the  Apostolic  Church. 
Did  it  rest,  with  equal  force,  upon  the  church  of  the 
third  and  fourth  centuries'?  Is  it  true  with  us  to-day, 
as  St.  Paul  said  it  was  with  the  church  in  his  day, 
that  the  brethren  among  us  who  cause  "divisions  and 
offences,  do  so  contrary  to  the  docti'ine"  of  the  Gos- 
pels? Should  Christians  avoid  them,  "For  they  that 
are  such  serve  not  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ"?  The  way 
in  which  the  Apostle  puts  the  matter  is  certainly  a 
very  serious  one.  None  of  us  are  willing  to  be  foimd 
opposing  tlie  teaching  of  St.  Paul.  His  statements  seem 
to  accuse  some  of  failing  to  keep  the  doctrine  of  Christ. 
Are  wc  guilty?  Are  the  guilty  ones  in  the  other  de- 
nominations than  our  own?  Shall  we  not  i)ossibly  say 
that  we  an;  all  guilty?  Such  reasoning  carries  with 
it  serious  accusations.  Ft  is  certain  that  some  one  has 
missed  IIk;  teachings  of  God.    Some  one;,  it  would  seem 


164 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


from  the  Scriptures,  has  gone  far  astray.  Who  raaj' 
it  be?  While  it  may  be  practically  impossible  in  our 
day  to  answer  this  question,  and  probably  it  is  scarcely 
wise  to  press  it  too  far,  we  must  still  recognize  this  fact 
that  the  Apostles  expected  that  in  all  ages  there  should 
be  a  spirit  of  forbearance.  It  seems  clear  from  what 
St.  Paul  says  that  he  expected  that  there  would  be 
but  a  single  church,  and  that  this  would  be  an  organic 
unit.  It  was  to  be  one  in  doctrine  and  one  in  unity  of 
the  Spirit.  This  would  be  the  church  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  Provision  was  made  so  that  if  necessary, 
individuals  might  be  excluded  but  the  church  must 
remain  one. 

In  addition  to  the  passages  already  referred  to  a 
strong  spirit  of  church  unity  pervades  all  the  books  of 
the  New  Testament.  Not  even  would  the  most  zealous 
denoininationalist  for  a  moment  attempt  to  maintain 
that  the  spirit  of  the  New  Testament  books  is  a  spirit  of 
division  or  discord.  The  ideal  is  a  unity  so  close  and 
vital  that  when  one  member  suffers  all  the  members 
suffer  with  him,  and  when  one  rejoices  all  share  in  his 
joy,  a  unity,  with  a  wise  division  of  work,  yet  all  work- 
ing together  as  one  body,  each  strengthening  his  neigh- 
bor, forms  the  ideal  of  the  Apostolic  Church.  At  that 
early  period  there  were  differences  of  view  and  much 
discussion  concerning  methods  appears  to  have  taken 
place  yet  none  dared  suggest  a  division.  Despite  all 
these  differences  in  method  and  modifications  of  belief, 
the  church  remained  one.  Not  simply  one  in  name,  not 
as  is  .said  to-day,  one  in  spirit  while  dismendx'red  out- 
wardly, but  one  in  outward  form.  One  in  organic  ex- 
istence. This  outward  unity  was  that  for  which  (Jiirist 
prayed.  It  was  a  unity  which  made  the  church  really 
one.  It  was  a  unity  which  appealed  to  the  pagan  world. 
The  Greek  and  Roman  })hilosoph('rs  saw  Judaism  rent 
by  schisms  into  many  warring  factions,  and  for  a  time 
snp|)os('(l  that  Ciii'ist ianity  was  oidy  one  of  these.  Later, 
becoiiiiiig  better  iie(iii;iiii1('d  willi  the  real  nature  of 
the  church  they  recognized  her  as  distinct  from  Juda- 


THE  APOSTOLIC  IDEAL 


165 


ism,  an  organization  by  herself.  During  all  the  persecu- 
tion the  Roman  government  knew  but  a  single  organi- 
zation and  this  was  the  church.  As  such,  an  undi- 
vided body  of  loyal  believers  she  stood  before  the  woi"ld, 
testifying  of  her  Divine  mission. 

However  we  attempt  to  explain,  or  interpret  these 
passages  of  Scripture,  however  we  may  endeavor  to 
draw  the  sting  from  the  spirit  of  the  entire  New  Testa- 
ment, however  great  may  be  our  desire  to  justify  the 
men  whom  we  have  been  pleased  to  honor,  esteeming 
them  as  rare  men  of  God,  who  founded  tlie  particular 
branch  of  the  church  with  which  we  happen  to  be 
connected,  we  must  all  admit  that  viewed  through  the 
Scriptures  denominationalism  has  not  only  no  ground 
upon  which  to  stand,  to  say  the  least,  it  must  be  con-  > 
sidered  an  unfortunate  development.  ^\niatever  may  be 
the  explanation  of  Christ's  sacerdotal  prayer  wliich 
one  decides  to  accept,  we  must  all  unhesitatingly  admit 
that  the  unfortunate  multiplication  of  Christian  sects 
can  scarcely  be  the  thing  which  Jesus  hoped  would 
come  about.  We  would  not  expect  to  find  anywhere,  in 
any  statement  of  Jesus,  or  in  any  of  the  Apostolic 
writings  a  single  sentence  which  would  in  any  meas- 
ure justify  the  spirit  of  dissension  which  has  brought 
into  existence  such  a  multitude  of  sects.  On  that  last 
night  before  the  crucifixion,  that  night  when  the  Supper 
wa.s  established,  and  Jesus  in  the  midst  of  the  frag- 
ments of  the  Passover  held  communion  with  His  dis- 
ciples, that  night  when  He  gave  His  parting  instructions, 
the  night  of  (lethsemane,  the  bloody  sweat,  one  of  tbe 
greatest  burdens  which  seem  to  \>eigbt  down  His  soul, 
crushing  it  to  earth,  was  the  dark  shadow  from  the 
future  encircling  Him  with  its  gloom.  Do  we  go  so  far 
astray  when  we  .say  it  was  the  shadow  of  a  divided 
church  ?  The  visions  of  disruptions,  factious  conten- 
tions whicli  in  coming  days  sbotdd  rend  His  beh)ved 
church,  crippling  lier  power,  bringing  ujK)n  her  the 
criticism  of  tlie  world,  lliis  cluircli  for  whose  life  He 
Wius  about  to  sull'er  th(;  agony  of  the  cross.  He  saw  in 


166 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


future  ages  divided  against  herself,  and  the  sight  called 
forth  the  intense  cry,  found  in  that  portion  of  the 
prayer,  "That  they  all  may  be  one;  as  Thou,  Father 
art  in  me,  and  I  in  Thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one 
in  us:  that  the  world  may  believe  that  Thou  hast  sent 
me."  For  a  time  that  prayer  was  answered,  but  alas, 
the  time  came  when  no  longer  the  piteous  intercession 
of  the  Lord,  on  the  brink  of  the  tomb  availed  to  hold 
His  people  together.  The  church,  Christ's  church  for 
which  lie  died,  is  broken  into  hundreds  of  fragments. 
These  fragments  are  contending  with  each  other.  Madly 
we  see  them  rush  into  each  others  way,  jostling,  crowd- 
ing, elbowing  their  neighbors  out,  that  some  petty  ad- 
vantage may  be  gained.  In  this  manner,  manifesting 
a  spirit  so  unlike  the  spirit  of  the  Master  the  denomi- 
nations are  trying  to  convince  the  world  that  we  are 
sent  by  the  Father.  We  claim  a  kinship  with  the  one 
Who  came  as  the  expression  of  Divine  love.  While 
contending  in  this  unseemly  manner,  church  against 
church,  with  remarkable  nonchalance  we  proclaim 
abroad  that  despite  every  outward  appearance  to  the 
contrary,  that  despite  such  evidence  as  the  world 
clearly  sees,  bristling  hostility  at  so  many  points, 
that  despite  our  disputes,  and  harsh  epithets  which 
we  hurl  at  each  other,  still  there  is  a  wonderful, 
a  miraculous  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  going  on  in  our 
midst.  That  while  we  are  so  violent  in  our  disagree- 
ments that  we  cannot  remain  in  the  same  organization, 
while  we  accuse  each  other  of  want  of  fidelity  to  the 
truth,  there  is  still  a  most  remarkable  spirit  of  unity 
which  binds  in  brotherly  love  the  fragments  of  a  quar- 
relling church.  Our  learned  scholars  take  this  prayer 
of  our  Lord  and  by  the  aid  of  lexicon  and  grainraar 
assisted  by  logic  and  an  overpowering  desire  tell  us 
that  on  that  memorable  night  Jesus  had  no  especial  de- 
sire for  the  external  Tinity  of  His  church,  that  He  did 
not  pray  for  it.  There  is  sometliiiig  marvelous  in  human 
reason.  Christ  did  pray  that  His  church  might  be 
a  unit,  one,  and  such  a  unity  as  would  be  an  evidence 


THE  APOSTOLIC  IDEAL 


167 


to  the  world  that  tho  Fathor  had  sent  TTim.  Jnst  be- 
fore this  pj'ayer  He  made  a  statement  to  Ilis  disciples 
which  is  full  of  significance.  "Peace  I  leave  with  you, 
my  peace  I  give  unto  you :  not  as  the  world  giveth, 
give  I  unto  you.  Let  not  vour  heart  be  troubled,  neither 
let  it  be  afraid."    (JohnXIV:  27.) 


CHAPTER  X 


AN  OBLIGATION 

IJOWEVER  we  may  view  the  condition  of  the  church 
to-day  as  she  is  broken  up  into  numberless  dis- 
jointed fragments,  the  nature  of  which  is  somewhat  con- 
cealed under  the  Latin  derivative  "Denominations,"  in 
every  sober  mind  there  must  arise  the  conviction  that 
something  is  radically  wrong.  Whenever  in  the  past 
there  has  arisen  such  a  difference  of  opinion,  doctrinal, 
social  or  ecclesiastical  that  a  division  was  threatened, 
without  exception,  those  involved  exhibited  the  greatest 
concern.  In  each  instance  there  has  preceded  the  divi- 
sion a  series  of  efforts  more  or  less  prolonged,  to  ar- 
rive at  some  adjustment  and  thus,  if  possible,  avoid  dis- 
ruption. Never  yet  has  a  break  occurred  in  any  organic 
church  which  has  not  been  accompanied  with  expres- 
sions of  regret  and  sorrow.  Such  disruptions,  from  the 
first,  have  been  considered  inexpressibly  unfortunate. 
They  have  never  been  looked  upon  as  an  evidence  of 
Divine  blessing,  as  should  have  been  the  case,  had  they 
been  instrumental  in  leading  to  that  healthful  and  stimu- 
lating competition  which  resulted  in  a  more  vigorous 
religious  life.  It  is  probable  that  should  we  go  back 
and  in  a  careful,  judicious  spirit  study  afresh  the 
records  of  these  controversies  we  would  in  every  in- 
stance discover  that  had  the  church  leaders,  and  the 
leaders  of  the  opposition  been  wise,  had  they  been  pos- 
sessed of  the  genuine  spirit  of  Christian  forbearance, 
instead  of  an  irascible,  self-seeking  spirit,  the  unfortu- 
nate separations  would  never  have  taken  place.  In  the 
exeilciiKMil  of  controversy  inen  have  assumed  positions 
unwise,  and  extreme,  from  which  they  could  not  retreat 

168 


AN  OBLIGATION 


169 


without  a  loss  of  some  measure  of  popularity  and  a 
weakcjiing  of  leadership,  which  they  were  unwilling 
to  accept.  Popular  applause  which  is  given  to  a  leader 
in  controversy,  personal  ambition,  fired  by  such  ap- 
plause, the  intoxication  of  leadership  have  combined  to 
fan  the  fires  of  discontent  until  reaching  the  point  of 
exploding  the  break  followed.  When  under  such  con- 
ditions a  break  comes  in  a  religious  organization,  there 
seems  to  be,  at  least  in  this  world,  no  forgiveness.  After 
such  a  break  to  surrender,  even  after  the  lapse  of  cen- 
turies seems  like  passing  judgment  upon  the  fathers  who 
endured  hardship  in  the  cause  of  religious  liberty.  There 
seems  to  be  in  a  measure  in  such  a  retreat,  something 
disloyal  to  the  fundamental  idea  of  church  life,  some- 
thing sacrilegious  and  cowardly.  It  is  the  making  of 
a  truce  with  our  natural  enemies.  We  find  ourselves 
refusing  to  look  upon  the  founders  of  our  particular 
church  in  any  other  light  than  as  saints  of  God,  in 
whose  breasts  the  fire  of  genuine  faith  burned  brightly. 
To  admit  that  the  leaders  in  the  founding  of  our  de- 
nomination were  at  serious  fault  has  come  to  be  es- 
teemed akin  to  an  attack  upon  the  fundamentals  of 
Christianity.  One  would  prefer  to  be  supposed  at  fault 
in  religious  character  rather  than  weak  in  denomina- 
tional zeal.  While  deploring  the  misfortunes  of  schism 
wc  are  \inwilling  that  it  should  be  assumed  that  any 
measure  of  the  blame  should  possibly  be  laid  at  the 
door  of  our  ecclesiastical  ancestors.  The  Methodist 
Church  can  see  in  the  Wesleys  and  their  immediate  fol- 
lowers only  the  holy  zeal  of  godly  men  who  because  of 
their  deep  piety  and  evangelistic  zeal  were  driven  out 
of  the  established  church.  It  is  true  that  the  Calvinists 
have  never  formally  canoiiized  their  founder  yet  to  all 
his  loyal  followers  John  Calvin  is  the  saint  par  ex- 
cellence. The  name  of  Martin  Luther  is  held  so  sjicred 
by  his  followers  that  lo  |)ro(lu('e  a  saying  of  this  man, 
80  wise  and  lioly  is  he  esleemed  that  at  once  it  ends 
all  controversy.  Hut  these  men  were  mortals.  They 
wen;  snl)j(!ct  to  the  weaknesses  and  frailties  of  the  flesh, 


170 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


to  the  same  limitations  of  human  reason  as  other  mor- 
tals. There  can  be  no  question  that  had  there  been 
less  of  the  controversialist  in  John  Calvin  and  more  of 
the  humble  spirit  of  Christ  in  Martin  Luther  Protes- 
tantism would  not  have  been  divided.  It  is  not  alto- 
gether impossible  that  had  the  leaders  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  at  the  opening  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
and  the  leaders  of  the  Reformation  been  in  more  com- 
plete communion  with  the  Great  Head  of  the  church 
the  Reformation  would  have  taken  place,  without  a 
schism,  and  Protestantism  would  never  have  been  born. 
But  such  a  thought  now  can  be  only  of  what  might 
have  been.  The  Reformation  did  not  take  place  with- 
out schism.  Protestantism  was  born.  Immediately  upon 
her  birth  Protestantism  sought  to  adjust  herself  to  the 
times,  and  to  take  up  the  tasks  which  she  believed  were 
imposed  upon  her.  As  there  was  no  one  great  leader, 
who  was  able  to  command  the  following  of  all  sections, 
discord  soon  appeared.  In  Germany,  Switzerland,  at 
Geneva,  were  men  of  great  intellects  and  mighty  influ- 
ence, each  working  independently  of  the  others.  The 
results,  as  might  have  been  foreseen,  were  differences 
of  opinion,  and  divergence  in  doctrine  and  methods. 
Efforts  at  agreement  were  made.  All  men,  even  the 
leaders,  saw  the  mistake  of  such  divisions,  but  not  one 
would  yield  to  the  others,  and  efforts  at  union  were 
futile.  At  last  the  great  leaders  disappeared,  but  their 
followers  took  the  old  controversies,  fanned  them  to  a 
whiter  heat  and  passed  them  on  to  the  coming  genera- 
tions. Since  that  time  some  three  hundred  years  have 
passed  during  which  the  old  battle  has  been  sustained. 
To-day,  while  the  original  controversies  have  only  a  most 
indirect  bearing  upon  the  problems  of  State,  society  or 
even  the  church,  with  conscientious  zeal  we  continue 
to  light  the  old  battle.  With  great  efforts,  and  expense, 
we  struggle  to  maintain  the  old  boundary  lines.  Now  it 
is  true  that  some  one  was  responsible  for  the  break 
which  took  so  many  thousand  out  of  the  Roman  ('atholie 
Church  of  Europe.    It  is  etjually  true  that  in  every 


AN  OBLIGATION 


171 


schism  which  since  tlie  origrinal  break  lias  torn  asunder 
the  different  families  of  Christendom,  breaking  up 
Protestantism  into  hundreds  of  sects  there  has  been 
some  one  responsible.  Those  have  lived  who  were  re- 
sponsible for  a  divided  church.  Those  have  lived  who 
were  responsible  for  a  divided  Protestantism.  To-day 
as  we  look  back  it  is  too  late  to  prevent  the  divisions. 
Neither  those  who  were  responsible  for  these  disrup- 
tions, nor  any  one  else  can  prevent  them.  The  time 
when  an  adjustment  was  possible  has  passed.  The 
golden  opportunity  came  in  every  instance,  for  a  mo- 
ment it  waited  then  passed  forever,  and  a  divided 
church,  a  shattered  Protestantism  became  a  fact.  It 
was  possible  for  Martin  Luther,  John  Calvin,  Huldreich 
Zwingli,  Pope  Leo  X,  and  the  Cardinals  and  the  Bishops 
of  Kome  to  have  prevented  the  unchristian  split  which 
came  with  the  Reformation.  The  critical  point  was  al- 
lowed to  pass,  and  the  disruption  took  place.  Then  it 
was  too  late  to  save  the  situation.  Bad  work  was  done 
and  during  the  succeeding  centuries  the  church  has 
been  paying  dearly  for  her  mistakes. 

Protestantism  came  into  being.  The  uncompromis- 
ing spirit  of  its  leaders,  who  had  strong  convictions, 
with  hot  tempers,  led  to  more  blunders.  Not  only  did 
the  larger  divisions  of  Protestantism  fail  to  unify,  and 
come  together  but  the  spirit  which  prevented  this  led 
to  the  breaking  up  into  other  fragments.  The  saints 
now  in  glory,  if  possible,  may  shed  bitter  tears  over  the 
faults  of  the  past,  the  church  of  our  day  may  deplore 
the  unfortunate  situation  but  the  fact  exists  that  Prot- 
estantism is  a  divided  host.  It  is  as  true  in  this  as  in 
all  history,  that  what  has  already  taken  place  cannot  be 
prevented.  The  past  has  become  history,  and  what  is 
written  is  written.  We  cannot  go  back  and  change  the 
facts. 

Again,  as  from  genciration  to  generation  l)etwoen  the 
Roman  (Jatholic  and  Ihe  Protestant  Churches  a  bitter 
controversy  has  been  kept  up,  as  the  sects  of  I'rotes- 
tantism  have  from  age  to  age  continued  their  warfare 


172 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


some  one  must  bear  the  responsibility.  The  men  who 
may  liave  felt  sure  that  it  was  their  duty  to  split  the 
ehureh  have  passed  on.  The  present  generation  is  now 
upon  the  held.  We  are  maintaining  the  fight  of  the 
fathers.  ShaU  we  continue  this  ?  What  shall  be  our  atti- 
tude towards  the  contentions  which  the  fathers  started? 
Shall  we,  as  did  the  fathers,  and  their  immediate  fol- 
lowers, diligently  study  the  means  by  which  the  fight 
may  be  carried  on,  and  our  sect  gain  some  advantage? 
Shall  it  be  our  policy  to  win  out,  as  a  denomination? 
Or  shall  we  seek  more  peaceful  methods,  and  strive  to 
find  some  way  in  which  there  may  come  a  reconciliation  ? 
The  responsibility  of  the  past  rests  upon  the  men  of 
the  past.  The  responsibility  of  the  present  rests  upon 
the  men  of  to-day.  The  present  generation  is  not 
responsible  for  what  a  past  generation  may  have  done. 
The  church  came  to  our  hands  just  as  we  found  it,  a 
divided  Protestantism.  Shall  we  accept  this  condi- 
tion, and  seek  to  continue  it  as  it  came  to  us,  a  church 
divided  into  factions,  denominations,  filled  with  unrest, 
a  heritage  of  conflict,  a  kind  of  religious  warfare,  and 
pass  on  to  the  next  generation,  the  same  kind  of  a 
divided,  struggling  mass  of  religious  combatants?  If 
we  do  this  how  much  better  are  we  than  the  fathers  who 
split  the  church?  If  we  keep  up  the  old  battle,  if  we 
neglect  any  opportunity  to  bring  the  warfare  to  a  close, 
and  establish  a  universal  peace  in  Christ's  kingdom  we 
are  guilty  of  precisely  the  same  sin  as  those  who  divided 
the  church.  There  comes  to  us  of  this  generation  an 
obligation.   Is  it  an  obligation  to  continue  the  fight? 

In  a  splendid  manner.  Christians  in  our  day  are 
recognizing  certain  great  obligations  which  rest  upon 
Christendom  as  a  whole.  It  is  not  probable  that  for 
many  generations  the  church,  as  such,  has  been  as  con- 
scious of  her  obligation  to  extend  help  to  the  world,  as 
to-day.  In  our  country  this  consciousness  is  manifest 
both  in  the  efforts  to  evangelize  our  own  population,  and 
to  render  aid  to  tin;  multitudes  who  come  to  our  shores 
from  distant  lands.   We  have  arrived  at  the  point  where 


AN  OBLIGATION 


173 


we  recognize  tfiis  obligation  as  rcstinf?  not  so  much  npon 
us  as  Episcopalians,  i'resbyteriaus,  Methodists,  Baptists, 
Congrcgationalists  and  Lutherans,  but  as  a  great  re- 
ligious obligation  appealing  to  the  great  church  of 
Christ.  As  this  consciousness  has  gi'own  up  and  our 
leaders  have  caught  clearer  views  of  the  great  whiten- 
ing harvest,  ready  for  the  sickle,  the  duty  of  preaching 
the  Gospel  to  every  creature  has  gained  in  strength. 
As  this  has  come  about  the  term  church  of  Christ,  in 
its  first  significance,  of  universality,  is  more  frequently 
employed.  The  time  has  come  when  no  one  denomina- 
tion assumes  to  be  the  sole  possessor  of  the  mystery  of 
godliness.  No  one  denomination  to-day  is  alone  con- 
sidered as  receiving  that  commandment  to  go  into  all 
the  world  and  evangelize  every  creature.  The  very  vast- 
uess  of  the  work  to  be  done  has  made  the  denominations 
willing  to  recognize  a  kind  of  universal  responsibility. 
Such  a  recognition  has  led  to  a  drawing  towards  i-ach 
other  on  the  part  of  the  denominations.  The  fact  tiiat 
the  various  denominations  are  engaged  in  the  work 
of  Foreign  Missions,  for  example  in  India,  and  by  un- 
intentional interferences  each  with  the  others  so  com- 
plicated the  work  as  to  render  the  relation  most  em- 
bari'assing  made  evident  the  need  of  some  kijid  of  an  un- 
dei'.standing  between  the  different  churches.  Tliis  led  lo 
conferences  on  the  part  of  church  officials,  and  at  last 
resulted  in  a  friendly  arrangement.  The  various  de- 
nominations have  divided  the  Foreign  field  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  reduce  these  interferences.  Common 
questions  have  arisen  from  time  to  time  making  neces- 
sary inter-church  conferences.  It  has  been  necessary 
not  only  to  discuss  questions  of  relationship  which  were 
vexing  the  missionaries,  but  to  reach  sonie  agreement 
whereby  these  vexations  might  be  obviated.  A  similar 
need  has  been  sorely  felt  in  the  home  work.  Here  the 
prejudices  have  been  so  strong  that  adjustments  have 
been  mucli  slower,  and  less  complete.  These  confer- 
ences and  discussions,  riecessitat  ing  a  closer  association  of 
church  leaders  in  a  friendly  spirit  have  brought  to  i)ass 


174 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


the  use  of  the  term  church  in  a  manner  unknown  to 
Protestantism  for  centuries.  We  are  using  the  word 
in  a  universal  sense,  not  as  including  all  true  believers, 
alone,  but  as  including  all  evangelical  denominations 
and  organizations.  Very  few  to-day  would  restrict  the 
term  church  to  a  single  denomination.  The  great  Mis- 
sionary Conference  in  Edinburgh  in  June,  1910,  where 
the  Protestant  Churches  of  Europe  and  America  assem- 
bled in  a  single  gathering  to  discuss  the  obligation  to 
evangelize  the  world  and  to  render  this  work  more  ef- 
fective by  the  adoption  of  better  methods,  is  an  illustra- 
tion of  the  trend  of  the  church  of  our  day.  This  gather- 
ing presents  not  only  the  recognition  of  common  inter- 
ests among  the  denominations,  but  whoever  has  read  the 
nine  volumes  which  contain  the  report  of  this  gathering 
has  felt  how  to  a  remarkable  degree  that  a  spirit  of  unity 
pervaded  the  assembly.  There  was  an  evident  zeal  for 
the  fundamentals  in  Christian  faith  which  unmistakably 
emphasized  the  felt  need  of  some  kind  of  real  unity  in 
Protestant  Christianity.  This  was  shown  by  the  move- 
ment to  establish  Christian  but  undenominational  col- 
leges, and  the  common  training  school  for  the  mission- 
aries. There  was  an  undercurrent  of  conviction  resting 
upon  Protestantism  that  the  time  was  not  far  distant 
when  there  would  appear  an  irresistible  demand  that 
such  a  working  together  should  be  found  not  alone  in 
the  Foreign  field,  but  in  the  home  land.  In  nearly  every 
report  of  every  Commission  there  was  a  cry  of  unut- 
terable sadness,  an  implied  longing  for  a  coming  to- 
gether of  the  dispersed  hosts  of  the  Kingdom.  In  this 
and  in  similar  gatherings  of  less  magnitude  we  have  the 
acknowledgment  on  the  part  of  various  denominations, 
an  open  recognition  of  an  obligation  resting  upon  all 
(Christian  churches,  to  strive  to  come  together.  On  the 
part  of  some  churches  there  is  already  evident  a  grow- 
ing conviction  that  these  conferences  do  not  wholly  dis- 
charge our  obligation  in  the  line  of  union.  There  is  an- 
other and  some  think  an  even  greater  obligation,  which 
is  knocking  at  the  door  of  Protestantism.    There  has 


AN  OBLIGATION 


175 


slowly  developed  a  conviction  that  if  the  successful  car- 
ryinf^  on  of  our  work  demands  such  conferences,  why 
should  there  not  be  so  close  a  relation  as  to  render  them 
unnecessary?  If  the  separate  denominations  can  come 
together  in  such  gatherings  and  discuss  so  many  ques- 
tions to  their  mutual  advantage,  why  should  there  not 
be  in  Christian  work  and  administration  a  still  closer 
relation?  Why  should  not  the  church  of  Christ  be  one? 
Why  should  not  our  work,  both  in  Foreign  lands  and  at 
home  have  the  benefit  of  a  united  front?  This  convic- 
tion has  gi'own  so  strong  and  is  becoming  so  common 
that  several  denominations  commenced  to  consider  vari- 
ous schemes  tending  to  a  final  organic  union.  At- 
tempts, not  wholly  unsuccessful,  have  been  made  at 
union.  One  church  has  gone  so  far  as  to  overture  all 
other  churches  to  consider  the  feasibility  of  a  union. 
In  Canada  three  of  the  leading  denominations  for  sev- 
eral years  have  been  seriously  engaged  in  an  effort  to 
form  a  union.  Questions  arise  on  every  side,  which, 
despite  all  efforts  to  the  contrary,  seem  forcing  before 
every  community  the  question  of  a  greater  unity  among 
the  churches.  The  obligation  to  live  together  in  peace 
is  being  recognized.  If  it  be  true,  as  we  tacitly  admit 
by  our  efforts  at  federation  and  our  discussion  of  com- 
binations, that  our  donominatioiialism  is  a  misfortune, 
that  it  is  an  evil,  a  pernicious  drawback  in  the  develop- 
ing of  the  kingdom  of  God,  then  it  is  something  which 
ought  to  be  remedied.  Under  such  conditions  the 
churches  ought  to  come  together.  They  are  under  obli- 
gation to  unite.  It  is  time  that  this  obligation  should 
be  recognized.  There  certainly  confronts  the  church 
to-day  the  obligation  to  face  this  question  of  unity.  If 
all  the  different  churches  in  Europe  and  America,  both 
at  home  and  in  Foreign  lands,  are  .striving  to  teach  the 
same  gospel,  if  all  these  organizations  are  holding  be- 
fore men  (jverywhere  the  necessity  of  the;  same  kind  of 
repentance  for  the  same  kind  of  sin,  and  urging  the 
same  kind  of  faith  in  the  same  kind  of  a  Saviour,  then 
why  should  they  not  come  .together?    Would  nut  the 


176 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


gain  arisin<?  from  such  a  union  more  than  a  thousand 
times  comi^ensate  for  any  surrender  of  some  personal 
opinion  or  taste  which  individuals  or  denominations 
might  be  required  to  make  ?  If  in  the  home  land  we  find 
in  all  these  churches  in  their  places  of  worship  the  same 
sacred  books  are  being  read,  if  we  find  presented  the 
same  fundamental  doctrines  of  faith,  repentance, 
righteousness,  service,  if  they  all  pray  to  the  same  Al- 
mighty God,  in  the  name  of  the  same  Redeemer,  for  the 
same  help,  and  give  thanks  for  the  same  blessings,  if 
they  join  in  the  same  hymns  of  praise  and  worship,  is 
it  strange  that  the  members  of  these  churches,  as  well 
as  the  outside  world,  are  beginning  to  ask  what  differ- 
ence does  it  make  with  a  man  in  his  life  in  this  world, 
or  with  his  condition  in  the  next,  whether  he  be  a  Bap- 
tist, a  Methodist,  a  Presbyterian  or  an  Episcopalian?  Is 
it  not  true,  and  must  we  not  recognize  the  fact,  that  a 
man  can  lead  just  as  devout  and  consecrated  a  life  in 
the  Episcopal  Church  as  in  the  Presbyterian,  in  the  Lu- 
theran as  in  the  Baptist?  But  we  may  go  a  step  further. 
TIic  time  has  actually  come  when  the  members  of  any 
one  of  these  churches  will  readily  admit  that  the  mem- 
bers of  any  other  church  are  just  as  truly  saved  through 
the  blood  of  Christ  as  the  members  of  their  own.  While 
the  Episcopalian  may  cling  to  the  service  of  his  church, 
and  the  Bai)tist  finds  special  comfort  in  his  immersion, 
while  the  IMethodist  proclaims  the  doctrine  of  free  salva- 
tions, and  finds  comfort  in  the  doctrine  of  falling  from 
grace,  and  the  Presbyterian  stands  firm  on  predestina- 
tion and  the  perseverance  of  the  saints,  while  the  Con- 
gregationalist  may  remain  convinced  of  the  aiitonomy 
of  the  individual  congregation,  is  tlie  only  Biblical  form 
of  Church  government,  still  there  is  no  church  in  all 
I'rotestantism  which  will  say  that  salvation  is  not  just 
as  truly  found  in  all  the  other  churches.  No  one  of 
the  leaders  of  any  of  these  churches  woidd  for  a  mo- 
ment care  to  raise  a  single  (piestion  concerning  either 
the  geunineiiess  ol'  llie  faith  or  the  value  of  the  religion 
of  the  other  churches.  The  doctrines  wherein  the  churclics 


AN  OBLIGATION 


177 


differ  in  no  marked  degree  neither  affect  the  personal 
life  of  the  believer,  nor  have  any  essential  bearing  upon 
his  acceptability  at  the  tiii'one  of  God.  Everything 
which  is  essential  to  the  saving  of  the  lost  soul,  and  the 
building  up  of  a  strong,  godly  life,  is  the  common  faith 
of  all  the  churches.  This  is  one  of  the  undisputed  facts 
of  the  situation.  Another  fact  stares  us  in  the  face,  that 
Christianity  is  divided  and  subdivided  not  for  the  sake 
of  convenience  and  efficiency,  like  the  division  in  an 
army,  or  in  a  government,  but  rather  like  a  contentious 
house,  because  of  quarrels  and  disagreement.  Were 
these  fragments  not  hostile  they  would  easily  come  to- 
gether. It  is  said  that  they  cannot  come  together,  and 
such  an  admission  is  a  confession  of  the  hostile  and  sin- 
ful nature  of  the  separation.  They  live  apart  because 
they  cannot  agi'ee.  If  they  come  into  the  same  organiza- 
tion they  would  fight,  thertifore  to  live  apart  is  to  pro- 
mote the  peace  of  the  church.  This  kind  of  spirit  is  not 
the  spirit  of  Christ.  For  children  to  conduct  them- 
selves in  such  a  manner  would  incur  i)unishment  by  their 
parents.  It  is  not  less  childish  and  evil  for  Christians 
to  live  in  such  a  state. 

Impressed  by  what  app(!ai's  to  us  to  be  a  want  of  a 
true  CliJ'istian  spirit,  some  of  us  might  say  this  is  all 
wrong.  We  will  no  longer  continue  this  unchristian  pol- 
icy of  denominationalism.  Suppose  that  we  say  we  are 
ready  to  bury  all  our  petty  preferences  and  unite  with 
any  church  holding  loyally  to  the  essential  doctrines  of 
the.  l>ible,  what  can  wc  do?  Suppose  that  fifty  Presby- 
terians, or  a  thousand,  should  go  to  the  Episcopal 
Church  saying  we  are  heartily  sick  of  the  spirit  of  de- 
noitiiiiatioiialisin,  let  us  come  in  with  you?  Would  this 
in  any  Jiieasure  break  down  denominationalism?  Sup- 
po.sc  a  thousand  P]piscopaliaiis  should  go  over  to  the 
Congregational  body,  in  the  spirit  of  brotherly  love,  and 
form  an  independent  ('ongregational  Church,  or  five 
Inindfcd  IJaptisIs  in  a  similar  iManner  should  go  over  to 
tli(!  Methodist  Cliui'ch,  sucili  iiioveiiients  would  not  alTeet 
denominationalism.   After  such  changes  had  taken  place 


178 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


just  as  many  denominations  would  remain  as  before. 
tSuc'li  Hioveiacnts  would  demoralize  benevolent  and  mis- 
sionary work,  as  well  as  tlie  congregational  activities  of 
each  church.  While  there  is  an  individual  obligation 
extending  as  far  as  personal  influence  reaches  the  real 
obligation  in  the  case  is  with  the  denomination  as  a 
body.  The  organization  as  siich  nnist  make  the  move. 
To  diminish  the  number  of  denominations  two  of  these 
bodies  must  combine. 

A  few  years  ago  there  was  a  movement  among  the 
leaders  of  the  Presbyterian  and  the  Cumberland  Presby- 
terian bodies  for  a  union.  Through  committees  the  de- 
tails were  arranged  and  the  two  denominations  tried  to 
come  together.  A  fragment  of  the  Cumberland  Church 
refused  to  follow,  so  that  enough  remained  to  continue 
the  name  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  and  to  keep 
the  number  of  organizations  unchanged.  In  1835  the 
Presbyterian  Church  split  into  what  is  known  as  the 
Old  and  New  School  Presbyterian  bodies.  For  thirty- 
five  years  these  two  branches  remained  apart.  After 
much  and  prolonged  effort  in  1870  a  reunion  took  place, 
which  resulted  in  wiping  out  of  existence  one  denomina- 
tion. These  were  denominational  movements.  The  cou" 
summation  of  this  union  was  the  occasion  of  great  re- 
joiciug  in  both  bodies.  These  efforts,  and  the  rejoicing 
over  their  success,  indicate  how  the  church  of  to-day 
really  looks  upon  church  divisions.  When  the  leaders 
of  these  bodies  realized  what  should  be  done,  and  went 
to  work  in  earnest,  they  brought  forth  most  gratifying 
results.  In  a  similar  manner  every  great  denomination 
is  responsible  for  its  position  with  relation  to  other  bod- 
ies. The  organization  which  holds  a  denomination  to- 
gether, enabling  it  to  do  its  work  is  the  place  in  the 
church  where  the  responsibility  for  denominationalism 
lies.  There  is  an  obligation  resting  upon  the  supreme 
governing  or  controlling  body  of  every  church,  and 
upon  her  officials,  to  put  forth  every  reasonable  effort 
to  lead  that  church  organization  into  the  right  position 
concerning  the  organic  unity  of  the  entire  body  of 


AN  OBLICxATION 


179 


Christians.  This  is  where  the  responsibility  for  doc- 
trinal positions  rest.  Here  lies  the  obligation  for  the 
outlining  of  the  work,  both  at  home  and  abroad.  It 
is  here  where  the  relation  between  the  given  organization 
and  all  other  religious  organizations  is  determined. 
Shall  the  given  organization  be  on  terms  of  peace  or  hos- 
tility towards  the  other  churches?  It  is  for  the  ruling 
body  in  the  denomination  to  determine.  Suppose  a 
member  of  a  ^Methodist  Church  should  remove  to  an- 
other town  and  present  a  letter  of  dismission  from  his 
church  to  a  Presbyterian  Church?  Shall  he  be  received 
on  this  letter This  is  determined  by  the  highest  court 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church.  In  a  similar  manner  all 
obligations  which  bear  upon  the  relation  of  Presby- 
terians to  other  bodies  rests  in  this  court.  Such  an  obli- 
gation cannot  be  ignored.  It  is  therefore  important  that 
this  place  of  influence  in  all  our  churches  should  repre- 
sent the  most  devout,  consecrated,  and  intelligent  man- 
hood of  the  church.  These  persons,  who  are  in  such 
places  of  power,  are  in  a  very  large  measure  responsible 
to-day  for  the  continuation  of  the  unfortunate  divisions 
of  Christendom.  While  the  guilt  of  making  the  di- 
visions may  not  be  charged  to  them,  unless  they  use  their 
influence,  and  their  authority,  so  far  as  they  possess  it, 
to  heal  the  breaks  they  must  bear  the  responsibility  of 
maintaining  them. 

One  of  the  obligations  resting  upon  the  ecclesiastical 
organization  is  to  define  the  conditions  of  church  mem- 
bership. This  may  be  so  defined  as  to  exclude  from  its 
ni('itib(;rsliip  nine-tenlhs  of  tho.se  who  arc  admitted  to  be 
genuine  followers  of  Christ.  It  is  recognized  that  these 
pei'sons  are  truly  penitent,  that  they  have  genuine  faith 
in  Christ  and  that  they  are  leading  excellent  and  active 
Christian  lives.  By  the  action  of  the  ruling  body  such 
are  de[)rived  from  finding  a  religious  home  witiiin  the 
ranks  of  this  denomination  because  of  some  imposed 
conditions.  It  is  true  that  nearly  all  Prot<!staiit  denomi- 
nations to-day  receive  their  lucinbers  ni)on  very  gcnerons 
conditions.    Little  is  made  of  doctrinal  b(;lief  beyond 


]80 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


personal  faith  in  Christ  and  a  suitable  well-ordered  life. 
Whether  a  man  enter  a  Methodist,  Presbyterian,  Episeo- 
pal,  Lutheran  or  any  other  church,  practically  the  same 
elements  of  faith  are  expected.  All  churches  require 
the  same  kind  of  faith,  and  the  same  holy  life ;  all  prac- 
tice Baptism,  though  some  restrict  the  mode  to  a  single 
form.  All  churches  administer  the  Sacrament  of  the 
Supper  in  practically  the  same  form,  so  far  as  the  essen- 
tials of  faith  go,  in  the  same  manner.  There  is  scarcely 
a  difference  in  the  holy  life  which  the  Christian  is  ex- 
pected to  live.  To  be  a  Christian  is  the  same  thing, 
whether  defined  by  a  Bishop  in  the  Episcopal  Church,  a 
Bishop  in  the  Methodist  Chiarch,  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  a  Lutheran  Synod,  or  a 
Congregational  Council.  With  no  essential  modification 
of  creed,  or  change  of  life,  a  layman  may  pass  from 
membership  in  one  of  these  denominations  to  any  other. 
Whatever  differences  exist,  therefore,  among  these  de- 
nominations are  of  such  a  nature  as  to  have  no  effect 
upon  the  character  or  spiritual  life  of  their  members. 
Such  a  statement  rests  not  upon  any  argument,  but  is 
based  upon  the  fact  that  it  is  admitted  in  the  practice 
of  all  these  organizations.  Upon  the  same  conditions  a 
man  may  enter  any  of  the  leading  denominations  which 
he  may  select,  and  without  embarrassment.  This  forces 
us  face  to  face  with  this  important  question,  Upon  what, 
then,  does  denominational  differences  rest?  To  be  con- 
sistent with  the  positions  of  the  different  denominations 
it  would  be  necessary  to  exclude  from  her  membership 
every  person  who  could  not  subscribe  to  her  creed,  in 
which  must  be  found  the  distinctive  things  which  dis- 
tinguishes this  church  from  all  others.  We  have  a  right 
to  judge  what  the  real  conviction  of  tho  denomination  is 
by  her  practice,  and  so  we  unhesitatingly  affirm  that, 
so  far  as  salvation  and  Christian  character  may  be  con- 
cerned, the  various  denominations  really  believe  that  it 
does  not  matter  what  church  a  man  joins.  Tlie  special 
creed  of  the  individual  denomination  is  a  mere  nom- 
inal thing,  and  is  a  question  of  little  importance.  These 


AN  ORLTGATION 


181 


dividing  questions  mostly  belong  to  philosophy  and  are 
far  from  vital  in  Christianity.  They  affect  the  external 
methods  of  the  church  and  have  little  influence  over  the 
life  of  the  Christian. 

It  is  furthermore  evident  that  Christians,  members  of 
the  different  churches  do  not  consider  these  restrictions 
as  of  any  real  obligation  upon  themselves.  Years  ago 
the  writer  was  the  pastor  for  a  year  of  a  Congregational 
church  in  northern  Vermont.  As  such,  it  became  his 
duty,  upon  the  reception  of  members  to  read  to  the  can- 
didate the  creed  of  the  church,  to  which  the  would-be 
member  was  expected  to  assent.  This  creed  involved  the 
entire  system  of  Calvinism.  One  question,  as  an  illus- 
tration, required  the  candidate  to  accept  as  an  article 
of  faith  "Creatiouism, "  another  "Infralapsarianism" 
and  several  others  equally  essential  to  a  vital  Christian 
life.  It  was  certain  that  there  was  not  a  single  member 
who  had  even  a  faint  idea  of  many  of  the  things  to 
which  he  professed  to  subscribe.  All  they  could  say  was 
that  it  had  been  the  creed  of  the  church  for  years,  that 
minister  after  minister,  according  to  the  regulation  of 
the  church,  had  read  the  creed  to  candidates  and  they 
had  cordially  accepted  it  in  the  blind  assurance  that  in 
a  document  of  so  profound  a  nature,  and  so  distinctive 
of  Congregationalism,  there  must  be  a  mysterious  virtue 
which  made  a  man  a  stronger  Christian.  While  such 
doctrines  may  have  a  place  in  religious  philosophy,  and 
be  interesting  as  matters  of  speculation,  they  held  no 
very  cs.sential  place  in  the  character  and  experience  of 
the  members  of  that  church.  Most  of  the  distinctive 
doctrines  which  divide  ecdesia-stical  organizations  are 
about  as  essential  to  real  robust  religious  living  as  are 
th(i  doctrines  above  referred  to.  It  is  also  true  that  the 
leaders  of  the  church  admit  that  such  doctrines  are  not 
essential,  that  they  are  not  of  sufficient  importance  so 
that  tlu>  church  needs  to  go  to  the  trouble  of  teaching 
them  to  h(!r  members.  If  this  be  true,  and  the  pi'actic(!  of 
all  oiii-  cliiiiclies  show  llial  it  is,  tlier)  why  should  such 
questions  be  permitted  to  divide;  tlu;  church V    There  is 


182 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


an  obligation  resting  upon  the  denominational  leaders 
to  see  that  divisions,  based  npon  such  grounds,  shall 
cease  to  interfere  with  the  work  of  the  church.  That 
the  kingdom  of  God  should  be  divided  by  such  ques- 
tions as  these,  and  the  church  of  Christ  should  be  rent 
asunder  by  quarrels  over  such  matters  can  certainly  be 
nothing  short  of  positive  sin.  It  is  time  that  prominent 
Christian  men  in  our  churches  should  cease  to  quibble 
over  theories  and  speculations  and  strive  to  build  up  a 
strong,  manly  piety,  which  shall  exemplify  true  Chris- 
tian brotherhood.  It  certainly  is  high  time  that  the  obli- 
gation to  set  matters  right  should  be  recognized  in  such 
a  way  as  to  lead  to  action.  As  we  study  our  differences 
to-day  and  see  how  the  body  of  Christ  is  divided  over 
insignificant  questions  into  hundreds  of  more  or  less 
hostile  camps,  there  arises  a  fear  that  we  may  be  ap- 
proaching dangerously  near  to  the  i:)Osition  held  by  the 
sect  of  Pharisees  in  our  Lord's  time.  In  their  endeavor 
to  do  all  that  the  Law  required,  they  entered  into  the 
minutest  details  of  life,  fixing  with  rigid  rules  every 
act  during  the  day,  from  the  awaking  from  sleep  at 
sunrise  until  at  the  close  of  day  the  weary  worshipper 
lost  consciousness  in  slumber.  The  number  of  steps 
which  could  be  taken  before  washing  the  face  in  the 
morning,  the  exact  manner  in  which  he  should  wash  his 
hands,  which  hand  he  should  wash  first,  just  how  far 
he  could  go  before  offering  a  certain  prayer,  how  he 
should  put  on  each  garment  with  the  accompanying 
prayer,  all  were  fixed  by  Law.  This  had  been  reached 
after  laborious  discussions,  careful  examinations  and 
profound  argument.  Christ  cast  aside  not  a  few  of  these 
worse  than  useless  observances,  as  really  in  the  way  of 
a  genuine  life  of  holiness.  Should  He  come  again  might 
lie  not  deal  in  a  similar  manner  with  some  of  the  bonds 
with  which  we  are  binding  the  church?  These  non- 
ess(!iitials  have  been  so  emphasized  as  to  lead  to  denomi- 
nations. The  spirit  of  these  divisions,  denominations, 
(loininate  our  church  work  ajid  life.  Were  the  non- 
essentials put  aside  and  only  such  things  retained  in 


AN  OBLIGx\TION 


183 


our  creeds  as  are  essential  to  true  godliness,  there  is  not 
the  slightest  reason  why  the  rank  and  file  of  our 
churches  coiild  not  peacefully  and  profitably  live  in  a 
single  organization.  Take  a  concrete  ease.  In  a  certain 
one  of  our  smaller  cities  is  a  Presbyterian  Church. 
Among  its  members,  received  both  by  letter  and  on  con- 
fession of  faith,  we  find  Baptists,  Methodists,  United 
Brethren,  Lutherans,  Disciples,  Congregationalists, 
ilembers  from  the  Church  of  God,  German  Reformed, 
United  Presbyterians,  Reformed  Presbyterians,  in  fact 
there  are  members  in  that  church  from  nearly  every 
form  of  denomination  in  existence.  In  this  particular 
this  church  does  not  differ  from  hundreds  of  others. 
N(!arly  every  church  to-day  is  made  up  of  persons  who 
at  some  time  have  been  members  of  other  organizations. 
When  a  Presbyterian  or  a  INIethodist  removes  from  one 
city  1o  another  no  one  can  safely  predict  with  what  de- 
nomination he  will  connect  himself.  The  acquaintance 
formed  by  the  children  in  the  public  school,  or  on  the 
street,  goes  farther,  with  the  average  family,  to  settle 
the  church  home  than  any  question  of  doctrine.  It 
seems  to  be  true  that  the  people  who  compose  our 
churches  care  very  little  concerning  denominational 
lines.  They  have  in  their  own  minds  practically  settled 
the  question  which  is  fundamental  in  the  organic  unity 
of  the  church.  The  people,  our  church  members,  espe- 
cially the  younger  men  and  women,  together  with  those 
persons  who  are  doing  the  larger  part  of  our  religious 
work,  are  saying  in  their  lives  that  it  is  immaterial  what 
th(!  church  may  be,  provided  it  be  thoroughly  loyal  to 
the  Word  of  God.  It  must  be  a  true  Christian  church. 
If  it  be  this  they  hesitate  but  little  to  enter  it,  whatever 
name  it  may  bear. 

This  throws  the  responsibility  of  maintaining  the  de- 
nomination back  upon  the  organization.  Shall  this  par- 
ticular denomination  be  maintained  as  a  separate  dis- 
tinct institution  aTter  the  majority  of  its  members  find 
themselves  able  to  enter  other  organizations  without  iii- 
coiiveniencc?    If  the  individual  members  are  able  to 


184 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


pass  thus  freely  from  one  denomination  to  another, 
when  the  leaders  of  a  denomination  are  ready  to  prepare 
the  way,  we  may  safely  assume  that  the  great  mass  of 
the  people  will  gladly  follow.  The  leaders  are  there- 
fore responsible  for  the  continuance  of  the  denomina- 
tions. The  least  that  the  great  denominations  can  do  is 
to  give  this  question  of  union  an  immediate,  prayerful 
and  careful  consideration.  If  the  Scriptures  indicate 
that  it  was  in  the  mind  of  our  Lord  that  His  church 
.should  be  one,  if  in  our  study  of  the  prayer  of  Jesus 
we  have  arrived  at  a  correct  conclusion,  if  St.  Paul 
meant  what  he  said  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans  and 
to  the  Corinthians,  if  it  be  true  of  Christians  to-day 
that  the  members  of  the  church  could  live  together  in 
one  organization,  then  there  is  surely  an  obligation  rest- 
ing somewhere  iipon  some  one  to  take  up  this  matter  of 
church  divisions  and  seek  such  a  settlement  as  shall 
remove  this  greatest  of  all  hindrances  to  the  progress 
of  the  kingdom  of  God,  modern  denominationalism. 
The  iinfortunate  differences  of  the  fathers  weakened  the 
church  by  breaking  her  up  into  a  multitude  of  sects. 
The  continuance  of  these  differences  cannot  be  main- 
tained without  the  responsibility  for  such  a  course  fall- 
ing heavily  upon  the  shoulders  of  our  leaders.  To  fail 
to  make  an  effort  to  secure  union  is  a  serious  fault.  It 
is  not  enough  that  we  contentedly  remain  in  the  church 
in  which  we  find  ourselves,  we  must  seek  to  diminish 
the  number  of  organizations.  There  are  more  impor- 
tant questions  than  those  of  denominational  sucoc^ss. 
Even  the  question  of  denominational  consistency  pales 
in  the  presence  of  the  great  obligation  that  we  should 
be  one  and  live  in  peace.  The  church,  the  denomination 
has  no  right  to  exi.st  for  the  sake  of  maintaining  the 
principles  for  which  its  founders  contended,  its  chief 
aim  should  be  not  its  own  continuation,  if  it  be  true  to 
('hri.st,  but  .something  far  wider,  and  infinitely  more 
essential  to  the  honor  of  God.  It  should  be  the  unity  of 
tlic  cliurch  and  Ihc  glory  of  the  Living  God  which 
should  lead  us  in  our  study  of  the  problems  of  the  day. 


AN  OBLIGATION 


185 


There  can  be  no  question  that  if  the  differences  which 
exist  among  ns  can  be  so  adjusted  that  greater  harmonj^ 
may  prevail  in  the  church  that  her  leaders  are  bound 
by  every  law  of  right,  by  the  strongest  obligations  to 
the  Great  Head  of  the  church  to  put  aside  the  discus- 
sion of  our  differences,  to  cease  trilling  with  side  issues, 
and  to  meet  seriously  the  great  question.  We  ought  to 
agree.  If  we  cannot  it  is  because  some  one  of  us  is 
wrong  and  is  at  faiilt  in  this  matter.  It  is  our  duty  to 
agree  upon  the  great  essentials.  We  can  agree,  if  we 
will.  There  remains  but  one  thing  to  do,  and  that  is 
as  speedily  as  possible  cease  our  quibbling  and  get  to- 
gether. Let  the  unfortunate  antagonisms  which  for  so 
many  centuries  have  violently  rent  the  church  to  tat- 
ters cea.se.  It  is  high  time  that  the  church  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  f'lirist  .should  cease  to  appear  before  the  world 
as  a  house  divided  against  itself. 


CHAPTER  XI 


A  DUTY 

/^NE  of  the  unfailing  laws  inherent  in  the  nature  of 
things  is  that  each  generation  must  reap  the  sowing 
of  the  generations  which  have  preceded.  This  holds  not 
alone  with  respect  to  the  good  and  wise  acts,  but  with 
equal  force  M'ith  respect  to  the  evils  resulting  from  mis- 
takes made.  Each  generation  has  forced  upon  it  much 
which  comes  from  the  past.  Fortunately  there  is  much 
in  this  inheritance  which  is  wholesome  and  gives  a  great 
advantage  over  the  past.  We  have  received  gi'eat  aid 
from  the  inventions  of  those  who  have  gone  before,  and 
the  material  and  intellectual  progress  which  they  have 
made.  For  all  this  we  are  duly  grateful.  This,  unfor- 
tunately, is  not  all.  We  have  entered  into  situations  and 
conditions  resulting  from  the  blunders  of  the  fathers 
which  form  in  no  small  measure  the  burdens  which  we 
must  carry  and  the  intricate  problems  which  we  must 
solve.  The  inheritance  of  the  church  of  our  day  from 
the  past  is  indescribably  great.  The  highly  organized 
state  of  the  church,  the  developed  missiouaiy  work,  and 
the  doctrinal  and  social  developments,  which  give 
strength  to  Christianity,  we  have  received  from  the  past. 
The  liturgical  part  of  the  services  of  the  church  comes 
to  us  from  the  fathers.  Nearly  all  that  is  excellent  and 
which  gives  stability  to  the  church  comes  to  us  from 
the  past.  It  is  also  true  that  not  a  few  of  the  elements 
of  weakness  which  are  found  in  the  church  of  the  pres- 
ent, and  which  not  oidy  embarrass  the  church  in  her 
forward  i)rogress,  but  wliich  hold  the  great  body  of  be- 
lievers in  fett(!rs  of  steel,  is  a  part  of  our  iidieritance. 
Not  the  least  of  these  weaknesses  we  must  admit  is  our 

18G 


A  DUTY 


187 


present  day  deiiominationalism.  It  would  ai)pear  that  it 
was  the  genius  of  Protestantism  to  fall  into  contentious 
of  such  a  nature  as  to  result  in  a  sad  dismemberment. 
Before  the  reformers  were  free  from  the  mother  church 
and  her  restraints  serious  and  far-reaching  differences 
arose.  The  age  of  the  Reformation  passed.  These  dif- 
ferences instead  of  becoming  adjusted  took  on  more  ag- 
gravated forms.  Discord,  contention,  and  disunion  re- 
sulted. The  generation  following  tlie  Reformers  took 
up  their  work.  Despite  all  efforts  to  heal  the  schisms 
the  trouble  increased  and  disriiptions  multiplied.  Prom 
generation  to  generation,  while  now  and  then  feeble  ef- 
forts have  been  made  to  settle  differences,  there  has  fol- 
lowed a  long  succession  of  breaks  resulting  in  denomina- 
tions. Nearly  every  question  which  has  arisen  since  the 
sixteenth  century  in  the  Protestant  Church,  even  such 
movements  as  Avere  meant  to  lead  the  church  to  a  purer 
and  liiglier  level  of  religious  living,  has  resulted  in  dif- 
ference of  opinion,  which  has  been  aggravated,  and  then 
was  followed  by  an  explosion  which  gave  a  new  brood 
of  separate  denominations.  In  later  times  this  tendency 
has  manifested  itself  in  a  new  and  strange  characteris- 
tic, a  remai'kable  readiness  on  the  part  of  church  peo- 
ple to  run  off'  into  a  variety  of  religious  and  quasi- 
religious  organizations,  iitterly  at  variance  with  the 
spirit  or  nature  of  the  church.  Some  thiidc  that  this 
indicates  that  the  church,  as  such,  in  a  measure  is  los- 
ing her  grip  upon  the  lives  and  affections  even  of  her 
own  members.  Infidelity  and  irreligion  liave  grown  bold 
in  itiaking  their  demands  in  the  social  life  of  communi- 
ties, ill  transforming  municipal  administration  and  in 
revolutionizing  even  the  fundamental  principles  of  na- 
tional government.  Those  interested  in  true  religion 
should  .seek,  with  care,  for  the  cause  of  these  tendencies. 
It  may  not  be  entirely  beside  the  mark  to  enquire  iiow 
far  the  inharmonious  state  of  the  Protestant  Church 
may  be  responsible  for  such  a  condition.  Are  we  reap- 
ing, ill  the  social  and  civil  life,  tlie  frnit  of  the  ecclesi- 
astical sowing  of  the  past?   The  question  is  a  fair  one. 


188 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


It  is  cheering  to  note  that  within  the  last  thirty  yeai-s 
there  has  been  manifested  an  increased  desire,  quite  gen- 
eral in  the  church,  t6  put  an  end  to  disintegration,  and 
if  possible  to  bring  about  some  wholesome  combinations. 
However  reluctant  to  do  so,  men  have  been  forced  to 
recognize  some  of  the  ill  effects  of  our  present  inhar- 
monious state.  There  has  been  a  growing  disposition 
not  to  emphasize  so  strongly  our  differences,  while  at- 
teiition  has  been  directed  to  the  points  of  agreement. 
Out  of  this  has  grown  an  increasing  desire  on  the  part 
of  a  large  body  in  the  church  for  some  kind  of  union 
whereby  the  various  denominations  may  become  one. 
Some,  in  the  conviction  that  it  is  too  much  to  hope  for 
anything  like  organic  unity,  advocate  a  federation. 
Among  the  clergy  of  the  various  denominations  there 
has  developed  a  fraternal  spirit  which  readily  feels  a 
sense  of  brotherhood.  We  begin  to  see  visions  in  the 
future  of  some  sort  of  a  united  church,  which  shall  en- 
ter upon  a  reign  of  universal  religious  peace.  Still, 
while  entertaining  such  a  hope,  we  contentedly  remain 
within  the  vise-like  grip  of  denominationalism.  Under 
such  conditions  it  is  not  strange  that  here  and  there  men 
should  arise  who  press  the  question  concerning  the  duty 
of  the  church.  The  church  has  a  duty  to  perform.  She 
should  recognize  it. 

We  must  admit  that  in  a  very  large  measure  the 
church,  and  the  church  alone,  is  to  blarae  for  the  pres- 
ent situation.  We  cannot  censure  the  outside  world  for 
our  divided  state.  It  is  scarcely  reasonable  that  the 
church  of  to-day  should  attempt  to  throw  the  responsi- 
bility for  our  present  differences  upon  the  men  of  yes- 
terday. The  church,  in  accordance  with  the  spirit  of 
Christianity,  condemns  that  harboring  of  family  feuds, 
which  leads  the  son  to  carry  on  the  quarrel  of  the  fa- 
ther. If  there  were  differences  in  the  past,  which  have 
come  to  us  unhealed,  then  instead  of  continuing  the 
fight,  why  should  we  not  make  overtures  of  peace?  If 
dciioiiiiiiatioiis  have  been  foi'iiied  in  the  past,  shall  we 
continue  the  feud  in  our  day,  keeping  up  the  light,  and 


A  DUTY 


189 


uiaiiitaiu  our  separate  church  organizations?  In  the 
day  of  the  Reformation  the  followers  of  Luther  and  Cal- 
vin were  responsible  for  refusing  to  come  together.  In 
the  following  years  those  forming  new  denominations 
were  responsible  for  the  splits.  Now  who  must  bear  the 
responsibility  for  the  continuance  of  these  splits?  If 
the  splits  were  a  mistake,  if  they  were  wrong,  then  the 
maintaining  of  the  divisions  is  a  mistake,  is  wrong.  The 
fathers  who  made  the  first  mistake  did  the  first  wrong, 
and  divided.  They  are  gone.  Shall  we  repair  their  mis- 
takes or  fight  the  battle  out  to  the  bitter  end  ?  When 
this  generation  commenced  its  religious  activity  it  began 
in  the  conditions  which  were  made  for  it.  But  after 
years,  if  the  old  conditions  remain,  then  certainly  the 
fathers  cannot  be  censured.  The  men  of  this  generation 
liave  resting  upon  them  tlie  duty  of  doing  what  needs  to 
be  done  to-day.  If  there  ought  to  be  a  union  among 
the  various  denominations  the  duty  to  bring  about  such 
a  union  rests  upon  men  who  are  now  living.  The  church 
of  to-day  has  a  duty,  and  she  must  not  run  away  and 
leave  it.  We  must  not  content  ourselves  by  saying  that 
we  are  the  children  whose  teeth  have  been  set  on  edge 
by  the  sour  gi'apes  which  the  fathers  ate,  while  we  con- 
tinue eating  the  sour  grapes.  While  we  did  not  origi- 
nate the  denominations  we  may  not  wash  our  hands  of 
all  responsibility  for  their  continuance.  We  may  claim 
that  we  did  not  start  the  quarrel,  but  we  keep  it  up. 
The  church's  duty  to-day  is  not  so  much  with  reference 
to  the  forming  of  denominations,  this  evil  has  been  ac- 
complished. The  present  duty  is  with  reference  to  the 
continuance  of  the  denominations.  We  may  compare 
our  situation  to  a  city  which  is  situated  on  the  border 
of  a  swamp,  where  malaria  and  disease  carry  off  the  in- 
habitants by  the  hundreds.  It  is  true  that  we  did  not 
locate  the  city,  the  fathers  did  this.  We  did  not  make 
the  swamp.s,  the  fathers  found  these.  We  did  not  intro- 
duce the  iiio.s(|uitoes,  these  come  from  the  swamps.  Jiut 
can  we  .say  that  no  duty  devolves  upon  us?  Shall  we 
Bit  (juietly  and  do  nothing-  while  men  die  by  the  huu- 


190 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


drcds?  It  is  tlie  duty  of  the  men  of  to-day  to  do  some- 
thing to  improve  the  health  of  this  city.  In  some  man- 
ner the  mosquitoes  must  be  exterminated.  It  is  the  duty 
of  the  men  of  the  city  to  do  this.  Failing  in  this  they 
become  guilty  for  their  course,  and  are  responsible  for 
the  hundreds  of  lives  which  are  lost.  In  a  similar  man- 
ner, we  may  say  the  Christians  of  to-day  did  not  make 
the  swamps,  nor  import  the  mosquitoes,  but  we  live  on 
and  do  nothing  to  change  the  devastating  influence  of  the 
malaria  of  denominationalism.  The  church  has  a  duty 
to  perform.  We  cannot  accept  the  situation  and  go  on. 
We  must  do  something.  Duty  demands  it.  Our  situa- 
tion is  peculiar.  Unless  we  take  heed  to  our  course, 
meeting  the  duty  of  the  hour,  some  one  may  arise,  and 
not  inappropriately  apply  to  us  the  language  addressed 
by  our  Lord  to  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  of  His  day, 
"Ye  build  the  tombs  of  the  prophets,  and  garnish  the 
sepulchres  of  the  righteous,  and  say.  If  we  had  been  in 
the  days  of  our  fathers  we  would  not  have  been  par- 
takers with  them  in  the  blood  of  the  prophets.  Where- 
fore be  ye  witnesses  unto  yourselves,  that  ye  are  the 
children  of  them  which  killed  the  prophets."  (Matt. 
XXIII:  29-31.) 

It  is  first  clearly  our  duty  to  give  this  subject  of  de- 
nominationalism and  its  influence  upon  the  Kingdom  of 
God  in  this  world,  and  its  progress,  together  with  the 
only  real  and  sufficient  remedy,  organic  union,  a  most 
serious  study.  This  subject  has  forced  itself  before  the 
church  as  at  no  time  since  the  Reformation.  Embar- 
rassed by  its  influences,  as  we  seek  to  extend  the  King- 
dom, as  the  fathers  never  were,  we  are  beginning  to 
question  the  nature  and  influence  of  our  divisions.  In 
many,  in  fact  in  most  of  our  mission  fields,  it  has  be- 
come necessary  to  put  aside  the  customs  of  the  home 
country,  and  to  permit  the  churches  in  a  large  measure 
to  enter  into  a  unity.  Where  churches  have  refused 
to  do  this  it  lias  been  necessary  to  segregate  and  go  into 
regions  so  far  separated  that  the  real  nature  of  our 
divided   church   may   not  appear   to   the  degraded 


A  DUTY 


191 


heathen.  It  is  really  eiubarrassiiig  to  permit  the  natives 
of  one  of  these  regions  of  a  single  church  to  go  over 
into  a  region  occupied  by  another  church.  We  are  still 
more  embarrassed  when  these  natives  come  to  the  home 
land  and  see  the  situation  here,  among  those  who  have 
been  so  impressed  by  the  Gospel  of  Infinite  love,  that  we 
send  our  messengers  to  the  end  of  the  world,  that  He 
and  His  love  may  be  known.  The  strange  sight  makes 
the  heathen,  whether  a  convert  or  not,  ask.  Is  all  this 
zeal  in  the  interest  of  unselfish  love,  or  the  outgoing  of 
a  zeal  in  propagating  a  sect?  They  are  familiar  with 
sects  in  religion,  and  the  mischief  which  grows  out  of 
them.  We  must  find  some  way  of  changing  this  condi- 
tion. 

An  endeavor  has  been  made  to  diminish  the  wasteful- 
ness of  our  present  system  of  denominational  interfer- 
ence and  competition.  The  extravagance  of  maintaining 
six  or  eight  little  struggling  churches  where  one  could 
do  the  work  far  better  has  been  recognized  by  shrewd 
business  men  as  exceedingly  unwise,  if  not  absolutely 
\inchristian.  It  is  unquestionably  the  duty  of  the  de- 
nominations involved  in  this  to  do  something  to  remedy 
the  situation.  For  a  church  to  assume  that  she  is  so 
bu.sy  in  her  task  of  preaching  the  Gospel  that  she  has 
not  time  to  study  such  questions,  while  she  squanders 
the  Lord's  money  in  these  inglorious  contentions,  seems 
wanting  in  candor.  It  is  illogical,  it  is  worse  than  folly 
for  a  church  to  go  on  in  such  a  course,  wasting  her 
treasure  and  interfering  with  the  efficiency  of  the  ef- 
forts of  her  brethren,  without  seeking  at  whatever  sacri- 
fice may  be  neces.sary  to  remove  the  evils.  If  we  should 
employ  the  .same  number  of  workmen,  distributed  in 
places  where  they  might  be  most  needed,  and  would 
work  to  greatest  advantage,  with  the  men  already  at 
work,  and  the  money  already  employed,  we  could  reach 
all  the  untouched  fields  with  tlicir  hundreds  of  millions 
who  hav(!  never  heard  the  (jlospcl,  and  could  have  the 
men  in  tliese  fields  within  the  next  six  niontlis.  With- 
out an  additional  dollar  of  expense,  or  the  employment 


192 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


of  any  additional  men,  we  could  place  a  missionary  in 
every  community  in  the  world,  as  a  messenger  of  Christ. 
But  we  keep  the  great  host  of  men  at  home,  that  we  may 
propagate  the  quarrels  which  our  fathers  started,  and 
the  millions  in  heathenism  may  go  down  to  hopeless 
graves,  lost  souls.  We  refuse  to  budge  an  inch,  for  we 
are  bound  to  push  our  denominational  work  at  home. 
This  is  all  wrong.  The  church  of  God  has  a  duty  to 
perform,  and  we  are  turning  our  backs  iipon  it.  While 
we  keep  up  our  fight  at  home,  maintaining  our  denomi- 
nations, trying  to  keep  six  and  seven  churches  going 
where  one  could  do  the  work  far  better,  so  that  Presby- 
terians, Methodists,  Baptists,  and  men  of  the  various 
denominations  may  have  preachers  bearing  the  same  de- 
nominational stamp,  there  are  hundreds  of  millions  of 
souls  going  into  eternity,  without  as  much  as  once  hear- 
ing of  Christ.  Just  as  sure  as  there  is  a  God  in  heaven 
some  one  will  have  to  answer  for  such  a  course.  If 
through  our  present  extravagant,  divisive  methods  mil- 
lions of  souls  go  into  eternity,  unprepared,  who  might 
have  been  reached  by  the  Gospel,  had  we  ceased  our 
wrangling,  and  lived  like  brothers,  then  if  God  deal  witli 
us  in  Justice  the  blood  of  tliese  souls  will  rest  upon  our 
heads.  How  can  we  escape?  The  duty  is  as  plain  as 
daylight. 

This  situation  is  accounted  for,  and  excused,  by  say- 
ing that  the  denominations  have  such  radical  diflferences 
that  they  cannot  agree.  We  are  sometimes  told  that 
divided  as  we  seem  to  be  we  are  really  much  closer  to- 
gether than  we  would  be  were  we  all  in  a  single  organi- 
zation. The  impression  goes  out  that  should  the  Chris- 
tians of  the  various  denominations  be  brought  together 
in  a  single  organization  by  any  process  of  organic  unity, 
the  inevitable  result  would  be  dire  disaster.  There  is 
the  intimation  that  if  these  people  of  such  divergence 
of  views  were  forced  to  worship  in  the  same  organization 
they  would  fight  like  fiends.  Il  is  better  to  deal  with 
them  as  we  would  with  beasts,  keep  them  in  separate 
compartments  when  they  worship.    But  we  profess  to 


A  DUTY 


193 


be  disciples  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  we  profess  to  be 
men  who  are  willing  to  deuy  ourselves  aud  take  up  the 
cross  daily,  men  whose  hearts  have  felt  the  warm  breath 
of  the  Saviour's  love,  yet  if  brought  into  the  same  or- 
ganization we  will  fight  each  other  like  vicious  dogs. 
No,  we  say,  keep  us  apart.  Now  it  must  be  admitted 
that  such  reasoning  sounds  somewhat  strange  to  mod- 
erji  ears,  especially  to  Protestant  ears.  But  we  must 
also  admit  that  the  situation  which  exists  among  the 
denominations  apparently  justifies  such  assertions.  Is 
there  not  a  duty  here  somewhere? 

If  the  situation  be  in  anywise  like  this  which  we  have 
found,  it  is  but  fair  that  we  raise  the  question.  Is  there 
any  particular  element  in  the  church  responsible?  If 
th(;re  be  it  is  the  duty  of  this  element  to  do  something, 
and  at  once. 

First  let  us  ask.  Are  the  members  of  the  church  ready 
for  church  unity?  Judging  from  the  conduct  of  the 
average  church  member,  we  believe  that  we  are  justified 
in  our  conclusion  that  they  are.  We  base  this  state- 
ment upon  such  facts  as  lie  oi)cn  before  all  the  world. 
"We  find  them  in  every  connnunity  and  practically  in 
every  Protestant  Church.  The  ease  with  which  fam- 
ilies pass  from  one  denomination  to  another,  whenever 
the  home  is  changed  from  one  connnunity  to  another, 
is  a  living  proof  that  the  people  are  ready  for  unity. 
Let  the  members  of  any  church  move  to  a  large  city  or 
to  a  different  section  of  the  city,  and  with  what  denoiiu- 
nation  they  will  affiliate  can  with  no  degree  of  certainty 
be  determined.  Our  church  membership  has  already  ar- 
rived at  the  [)]ace  where  the  average  man  or  woman  can 
feel  about  as  much  a1  home  in  one  denomination  as  an- 
other. More  depends  upon  the  pastor,  or  some  circum- 
stance, than  upon  the  dcnoiriination  as  to  where  a  given 
family  will  find  a  church  home. 

If  we  turn  to  the  officers  of  our  (rhurch  we  are  sur- 
prised to  find  in  nearly  every  church  organization  in 
th((  larger  coiriiininitics  iiow  large  a  proportion  of  the 
oOicials  were  trained  in  other  denominations  than  in  the 


194 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


oiic  in  which  they  are  uow  meiubers.  In  most  of  the 
small  cities  where  there  has  been  a  moving  to  town  of 
country  families  we  find  the  church  boards  a  medley 
of  denominations.  .  Men  who  are  leaders  in  local 
churches,  upon  removing  to  other  places,  determine  their 
cluirch  affiliation  largely  by  other  considerations  than 
strictly  denominational.  Even  in  the  ministry  it  is  sur- 
prising with  what  ease  good  men  pass  from  one  denomi- 
nation to  another.  Methodists,  Congregationalists,  Re- 
formed, Presbyterians,  are  frequently  going  from  one  de- 
nomination to  another.  It  is  surprising  how  little  doc- 
trinal embarrassment  such  changes  involve.  We  are 
surprised  to  see  how  slight  a  grip  the  questions  which  a 
short  time  ago  were  esteemed  the  great  decisive  princi- 
ples of  the  church  now  appear  to  have  iipon  men  of 
unquestioned  standing  in  the  denominations.  For  a 
Methodist  minister  to  pass  from  a  church  holding  the 
Arminian  theological  position  to  a  Congregational,  or 
even  a  Presbyterian  Church,  which  is  strictly  Calvinis- 
tic,  to-day  causes  little  surprise.  Despite  the  efforts  of 
our  Theological  Schools,  our  educational  institutions 
and  our  church  periodicals  denominational  lines,  doc- 
trinal distinctions,  and  ecclesiastical  traditions  year  by 
year  are  becoming  more  and  more  indistinct.  When  we 
remember  that  the  former  disruptions  took  place  over 
these  very  questions  we  cannot  help  asking,  What  does 
the  changed  attitude  mean?  There  certainly  has  been 
a  changed  attitude  of  mind  with  respect  to  theological 
questions,  so  largely  based  upon  philosophical  positions 
within  the  last  few  years.  The  church  of  to-day  must 
have  something  other  than  a  theological  shibboleth.  Ec- 
clesiEistieal  bodies  cannot  longer  hold  men  by  such  bonds. 

Suppose  we  go  to  men  who  have  changed  their  de- 
nominational allegiance  and  ask  why  they  made  the 
change ;  seldom  will  they  give  a  doctrinal  or  ecclesiastical 
basis.  In  these  particulars  they  seem  to  have  experi- 
enced no  change.  They  have  been  led  by  social,  family 
or  personal  considerations.  If  wc  question  the  minis- 
ters who  have  passed  from  one  denomination  to  another 


A  DUTY 


195 


we  will  generally  find  that  they  have  done  so  not  be- 
cause of  any  conscious  doctrinal  change.  Now  these 
facts  indicate  that  when  changes  can  be  made  so  easily, 
and  with  such  slight  modification  of  views  from  one  de- 
nomination to  another,  there  could  be  no  great  hardship 
should  the  great  mass  of  the  ministry  be  brought  under 
a  single  creed.  The  indications  are  that  for  the  average 
minister  to  pass  from  one  type  of  church  government 
to  another  would  involve  very  little  difficulty.  The  new- 
ness of  the  situation  would  be  the  greatest  embarrass- 
ment. 

Tinder  such  conditions  one  is  led  to  enqiiire,  Why 
should  there  be  so  many  denominations?  Where  rests 
the  resj)onsibi]ity  for  such  a  condition  to-day?  In  dis- 
cussing this  question  one  subjects  himself  to  the  danger 
of  exposijig  himself  to  the  eliarge  of  unfairness.  Tlie 
question  should,  however,  a.t  any  risk,  l)e  discussed.  Tt 
is  probable  that  most  of  those  who  are  opposing  the 
organic  union  of  the  church  may  be  placed  under  one  of 
tliree  classes.  First,  there  is  a  class  of  men,  somewhat 
advajiced  in  years,  who  have  served  their  church  and 
denotnination  most  faithfully,  who  are  still  pillars  in 
the  house  of  God  and  arc  performing  a  noble  service. 
For  years  Ihey  have  been  leaders  in  the  ecclesiastical 
bodies  with  which  they  are  connected,  and  are  skiUed 
in  the  interpretation  and  application  of  the  Law  of  their 
denomination.  They  have  labored  in  season  and  out  of 
season,  have  given  their  lives  to  the  upbuilding  and 
strengthening  of  their  particular  church.  Their  long 
service,  frequent  and  great  self-denials,  have  developed 
Ihe  warmest  attachment  for  the  organizatioji  with  which 
they  have  been  connected.  Tt  is  possil)l(>  that  some  of 
them  would  never  feel  at  home  in  any  other  body  than 
where  they  have  so  faithfully  served.  Wliile  this  marked 
affection  has  been  developing,  while  the  self-saci'ifice  has 
been  made  and  the  honest  efforts  put  forth  to  push  Iheir 
church  ahead,  another  spirit  has  been  imperceptibly 
gaining  a,  liold  upon  lliem,  a  want  of  sympathy  for  the 
competing  denominations.  '  We  find  not  unfrequently 


196 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


this  spirit  growing  np  botwoen  the  members  of  two 
ehiirches  of  the  same  denomination  in  the  same  neigh- 
borhood. The  close  competition  which  arises  where  two 
congregations  draw  their  strength  from  the  same  con- 
stituency, instinctively  seems  to  develop  the  conviction, 
though  it  may  not  be  expressed,  that  the  competing 
church  is  an  enemy.  When  the  competition  is  close,  it 
produces  hostility.  When  persons  in  one  church  learn 
of  the  embarrassments  which  overtake  their  competitor 
there  is  experienced  a  secret  pleasure,  and  not  unfre- 
(piently  extraordinary  efforts  are  put  forth  during  this 
season  of  difficulty  that  some  of  the  disaffected  may  be 
won  over.  Such  persons  are  recognized  as  genuine  Chris- 
tians, true  servants  of  Christ,  but  weak  human  nature 
asserts  itself.  It  is  not  improbable  that  siach  leaders  in 
the  individual  congregation  would  feel  that  any  merg- 
ing of  their  chiirch  with  the  church  which  for  so  long 
a  time  has  been  so  hard  a  competitor  would  be  no  easy 
task. 

We  find  men  in  all  the  ecclesiastical  organizations, 
such  as  Conferences,  Presbyteries  and  Synods,  those 
branches  of  the  organization  next  above  the  individual 
church,  who  have  for  years  been  leaders  in  these  organi- 
zations. As  siich  they  have  become  interested  in  groups 
of  churches  which  have  come  under  their  oversight,  they 
have  shared  in  the  responsibility  of  providing  sujiport 
for  the  weaker  fields,  and  in  this  way  have  developed  a 
warm  denominational  interest,  until  there  has  come  a 
sense  of  personal  ownership.  They  look  upon  these 
fi(dds  as  a  father  looks  upon  his  children.  They  have 
become  so  familiar  with  the  law  and  manner  of  doing 
work  in  their  denomination  that  they  can  see  no  other 
legitimate  way  in  which  the  work  sliould  be  done,  and 
to  modify,  even  slightly,  their  mode  of  work  would  seem 
like  attacking  the  citadel  of  heaven.  It  is  not  impossible 
that  such  never  would  feel  themselves  at  home  in  any 
oilier  OT-ganizatioH  than  the  one  in  which  they  have  la- 
bonnl.  These  iikmi  have  be(>ii  l)n)ught  into  close  touch 
with  the  work  of  their  denomination.    They  know  well 


A  DUTY 


197 


the  embarrassments  which  have  arisen  from  the  over- 
churching  of  communities.  AVhile  there  would  be  sac- 
rifice on  their  part  of  such  persons,  while  from  the 
nature  of  the  case  they  would  no  longer  stand  as  lead- 
ers, it  is  probable  that  from  such,  while  there  might  be 
opposition  to  organic  unity,  it  would  be  less  determined 
than  at  first  might  be  expected. 

The  second  class  from  which  opposition  might  be  ex- 
pected are  the  teachers  of  the  church.  In  the  present 
situation  the  denominational  school  and  college,  with  the 
Theological  Seminary,  are  a  necessity.  In  these  institu- 
tions are  men  who  have  devoted  their  lives,  many  of 
them  at  a  real  sacrifice,  to  this  particular  work  of  train- 
ing men.  From  the  circumstances  of  their  positions 
they  have  given  special  study  to  denominational  history, 
denominational  doctrines,  to  methods  of  denominational 
administration.  It  has  been  their  place  to  defend  denomi- 
national peculiarities  from  every  kind  of  attack  from 
without,  and  to  present  the  best  and  strongest  elements 
of  denominational  character  found  in  their  distinctive 
church.  Upon  these  men  have  devolved  the  duty  of 
stirring  up  denominational  zeal.  They  have  devoted 
themselves  so  long,  and  so  exclusively  to  this  particular 
field  of  investigation  and  labor,  that,  like  men  in  non- 
sectarian  institutions  in  their  departments,  they  have 
naturally,  almost  necessarily,  come  to  esteem  their  dis- 
tinctive department  as  excelling  every  other  in  impor- 
tance. It  has  been  their  place  to  man  the  outposts  of 
their  denominational  fortifications  and  to  repel  every 
advancing  foe  to  denominational  life.  There  is  an  all- 
controlling  tendency  in  every  department  of  teaching  to 
appreciate  the  imfmrtance  of  the  truth  of  the  given  de- 
partment, whether  it  be  literature,  history,  science, 
belles  lettres,  philosophy  dogmatics,  church  polity  or 
apologetics,  until  the  teacher  is  sure  that  nowhere  is 
there  a  realm  of  truth  so  essential  to  the  welfare  of  man- 
kind as  that  which  it  is  his  place  to  teach.  These  in- 
structors become  s{)eciali.sts  in  their  depart inents.  Such 
speciali.sts  b(!(;omo  keen  of  scent  in  the  search  for  facts 


198 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


in  their  line,  but  suffer  a  corresponding  blunting  of  per- 
ception in  other  directions.  We  may  illustrate  by  a  case 
which  occurred  in  the  science  of  medicine.  Some  years 
ago  a  friend  was  troubled  with  a  peculiar  kind  of  se- 
vere nei"vous  headaches.  His  affliction  became  so  severe 
as  to  render  him  unfit  for  business.  Being  in  one  of  the 
large  eastern  cities  on  business,  he  consulted  one  of  the 
leading  specialists  in  nervous  diseases.  The  doctor  gave 
him  a  thorough  examination  and  explained  the  cause  of 
all  his  trouble.  He  gave  him  a  course  of  treatment.  As 
he  derived  no  benefit,  and  was  growing  worse,  he  de- 
cided to  try  another  physicau.  He  was  greatly  afflicted 
with  indigestion  and  insomnia.  He  went  to  a  specialist 
in  stomach  diseases.  This  time  the  trouble  was  located. 
The  entire  trouble  was  in  the  stomach.  He  took  a  course 
of  treatment  under  the  direction  of  this  specialist.  But 
as  lie  did  not  find  relief,  after  a  somewhat  prolonged 
treatment  he  returned  to  his  home,  in  a  small  country 
village,  discouraged.  He  thought  his  case  was  beyond 
the  reach  of  the  doctor's  skill.  The  men  whom  he  had 
consulted  were  known  throughout  the  country  as  the 
best  in  the  land.  He  called  in  the  family  phj^sician,  who 
was  a  man  of  no  pretentions,  but  a  good,  honest,  skillful 
doctor.  In  a  short  time  after  a  careful  examination  this 
doctor  suggested  that  the  trouble  was  with  his  eyes,  and 
asked  him  to  visit  Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  consult  a  certain 
famous  oculist.  He  was  examined.  The  doctor  found 
his  eyes  faulty  and  after  a  brief  treatment  gave  him 
some  glasses.  The  doctor  told  him  to  go  home,  and  all 
would  be  well.  He  went  home.  His  headaches  ceased, 
his  digestion  improved,  and  his  nervous  condition  passed 
away.  He  was  cured.  This  was  some  years  ago,  and 
there  has  been  no  recurrence  of  his  trouble.  Each  spe- 
cialist found  the  seat  of  the  trouble  in  his  own  depart- 
ment. It  was  the  sensible  family  doctor,  who  knew 
.something  of  all  departments  of  medicine,  who  located 
the  trouble  and  sent  him  to  the  I'iglit  man.  The  special- 
ists had  i'ound  what  tli(\y  were  luinting  for.  In  our 
church  work  we  have  a  class  of  men  who  have  become 


A  DUTY 


199 


specialists  in  their  lines.  They  are  much  like  the  spe- 
cialists in  science.  They  become  contracted,  unable  to 
weigh  evidence  in  other  departments  and  unconsciously 
become  biased  in  their  judgment.  Our  church  teachers 
are  in  no  small  danger  of  this  very  narrowing  of  judg- 
ment. It  is  not  improbable  that  any  scheme  of  church 
union  would  meet  with  decided  opposition  on  the  part 
of  many  of  our  church  teachers. 

Closely  connected  with  those  who  labor  in  our  educa- 
tional institutions  are  the  editors  of  our  church  papers 
and  magazines.  These  men  of  rare  Christian  spirit  are 
hai'd  workers,  and  have  for  years  stood  on  the  advanced 
line.  They  have  fought  the  battles  of  the  church  mast 
valiantly.  We  are  not  surprised  to  find  that  such  strug- 
gles as  Ihese  men  have  been  forced  to  enter,  under  great 
odds  and  discouragement  and  at  times  almost  single- 
handed,  have  developed  a  class  of  men  who  are  exceed- 
ingly loyal  to  principle,  and  tenacious  in  their  fidelity 
to  (lenominational  positions.  It  has  been  the  business 
of  life  for  these  men  to  defend  the  church  from  every 
kind  of  attack,  from  the  world,  the  flesh,  the  devil,  from 
seeularity,  science,  and  other  churches.  They  have  been 
leaders  in  all  denominational  movements.  It  is  not  only 
natural,  but  pracitically  impossible  that  it  should  bo 
otherwise,  that  these  men  should  become  partizan  in 
spirit.  It  has  been  the  business  of  life  with  them.  As 
their  writings  enter  the  families  of  the  church  it  is  in- 
evitable that  these  men  should  exert  a  great  influence 
over  pastors  and  families,  largely  determining  the  views 
of  th(!  multitude  U])Oi\  all  questions  touching  the  organic 
unity  of  the  church.  From  the  nature  of  their  work 
they  would  be  led  to  assume  the  position  of  o[)position. 

The  third  class  which  from  Ihe  nature  of  their  work 
would  be  led  to  assume  a  po.sition  antagoni.stic  to  tlie  or- 
ganic union  of  the  church  is  what  we  may  call  the  ad- 
ministrative class.  These  are  at  the  head  of  our  denomi- 
national agencies,  such  as  tlie  Secretaries  of  the  Mis- 
sionary jind  I'.enevolent  orgjinizations.  Those  men  have 
been  constantly  dealing  with  (piostiojis  pertaining  to  the 


200 


THE  DIYTDED  nOUSE 


extension  of  the  church.  They  have  worked  hard  to 
secure  men  and  funds  to  carry  forward  the  work  to 
which  they  have  been  called.  Naturally,  their  work  has 
developed  to  an  unusual  degree  the  spirit  of  loyalty  to 
their  denomination.  Their  work  has  required  them  to 
concentrate  their  energies  upon  carr.ying  forward  the 
work  of  their  church.  It  has  been  their  business  to 
study  the  means  by  which  their  denomination  might  be- 
come more  powerful  and  prosperous.  In  a  very  real 
sense  their  honor  as  Christian  men  has  been  joined  with 
the  success  of  their  denomination.  They  have  given  up 
personal  ambitions  and  personal  desires,  sacrificing  all 
for  this  work.  They  would  be  more  than  human  if  their 
interest  in  their  church  should  not  be  rather  abnormally 
developed.  It  has  been  their  place  to  study  ways  and 
means  by  which  to  arouse  the  church  and  to  lead  her  in 
more  advanced  methods  of  progress.  To  turn  suddenly 
to  these  men  and  say,  let  us  surrender  all  this  denomi- 
national work,  let  us  cease  to  be  a  distinct  church,  and 
merge  our  interests  with  some  other  body,  losing  many 
of  oi;r  distinctive  denominational  characteristics,  giving 
up  our  church  name,  around  which  cluster  such  pre- 
cious memories,  leaving  all  the  past,  as  a  page  of  neg- 
lected history,  casting  aside  every  plan  for  denomina- 
tional enlargement,  and  give  up  projects  dearer  than 
life  itself  would  be  like  asking  for  a  more  trying  type 
of  martyrdom  than  ever  came  to  the  lot  of  the  ancient 
saints  who  sealed  their  faith  with  their  blood  under  the 
Roman  persecutors.  It  is  not  strange  that  men  who 
have  been  thus  engaged  should  utter  a  protest  against 
any  scheme  of  organic  union.  It  would  be  a  miracle 
indeed  if  there  did  not  appear  to  them  insuperable  ob- 
stacles in  the  way  of  sucli  a  combination.  They  see  the 
work  to  which  they  have  given  their  lives  merged  in  a 
combination  in  which  mingle  elements  heretofore  hostile 
and  discordant.  They  are  comj)el]i'(l  to  sacrifice  princi- 
ples for  which  they  long  have  contended.  Is  it  strange 
that  such  men,  strong  and  true,  sliould  raise  a  protest, 
or  even  enter  the  field  of  open  opposition? 


A  DUTY 


201 


While  there  may  be  a  want  of  sympathy  with  the 
raoveineut  on  the  part  of  many  who  have  been  leaders, 
while  in  places,  and  among  some  there  may  be  opposi- 
tion, possibly  bitter  opposition  to  a  surrender  of  what 
has  been  held  dear  in  doctrine  or  polity,  still  the  situa- 
tion is  such,  the  resulting  evil  of  our  present  course  is 
so  great  that  the  church  is  bound  to  give  heed  to  the 
cry  for  union  which  is  coming  from  so  many  quarters. 
In  this  the  church  has  a  duty  which  she  cannot  ignore 
without  serious  consequences.  Wliatever  would  increase 
the  efficiency  of  the  whole  church  withovit  compromising 
her  Lord  it  is  her  clear  duty  to  adopt.  If  we  approach 
the  situation  with  a  purpose  to  ascertain  the  facts  this 
is  what  we  find.  Our  ^lissionaiy  Secretaries,  who  are 
in  close  connection  with  the  work  in  non-Christian  lands, 
startle  us  as  they  press  upon  us  the  great  obligation  of 
tliis  generation.  It  would  almost  .seem  that  the  entire 
world  of  heathenism  has.  as  though  moved  by  .some 
great  conspiracy,  opened  its  doors  and  begun  to  call 
louclly  for  preachers  of  Christianity.  Japan  is  ripe, 
almost  over-ripe.  Korea  presents  marvelous  opportuni- 
ties, with  indications  that  unless  they  are  speedily  im- 
proved, she  will  close  the  door  against  us.  The  staid  old 
nation,  China,  after  her  long  slumber,  has  awakened, 
and  presenting  the  greatest  opportunity  for  extensive 
evangelization  which  the  world  has  ever  known,  calls  for 
help.  Already  we  see  signs  of  reaction,  and  ere  long  this 
wonderful  door  may  swing  shut.  In  India,  in  Persia, 
in  Turkey,  multitudes  stand  beckoning,  while  the  great 
illimitable  continent  of  Africa  alone  presents  opportuni- 
ties large  enough  to  engulf  the  entire  resources  of  all 
(Miristendom.  We  listen  to  these  cries  for  help,  and 
with  the  consciousness  of  our  limitations  we  e.xclaim, 
Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things?  Is  there  no  moans 
by  which  this  great  world  call  may  be  met?  Can  we  not 
increase  our  gifts  and  send  forth  more  workers?  With 
a  con.scionsiu'ss  of  the  crushing  burden  we  pause  to  con- 
sider what  to  do.  We  find  in  tlie  coiiimcrciul  world 
to-day  two  methods  by  which  a  greater  output  may  l)e 


202 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


secured.  One  way  is  to  increase  the  capital,  increase  the 
workmen  and  thus  increase  the  output.  Another  and 
far  more  common  method  is  to  cut  down  the  cost  of  ad- 
ministration and  the  expense  of  manufacturing  by  in- 
creasing the  efficiency  of  the  plant.  If  with  the  same 
capital,  and  the  same  outlay,  twenty-five  or  thirty  per 
cent  more  goods  may  be  produced,  and  placed  upon  the 
market,  great  corporations  consider  that  they  are  wise 
to  take  this  course,  rather  than  secure  the  increased  out- 
piit  by  increasing  the  expenditure.  If  that  which  has 
been  costing  $1,000  can  be  placed  upon  the  market  at  a 
cost  of  $500,  it  is  folly  to  go  on  using  the  old  methods 
and  machinery.  A  few  j^ears  ago  in  one  of  the  central 
Western  States  there  was  a  large,  well-equipped  plant 
for  the  manufacture  of  steel.  The  business  manager,  a 
quiet,  shrewd,  intelligent  man,  at  one  of  the  meetings 
of  the  directors  where  a  good  dividend  had  been  de- 
clared, and  every  report  seemed  to  show  a  most  pros- 
peroxis  condition,  startled  the  board  by  the  proposal  that 
the  entire  plant  should  be  remodeled  to  such  an  extent 
that  it  was  practically  discarding  all  their  raachinerj', 
and  building  a  new  plant.  The  directors  demurred,  and 
expressed  their  satisfaction  with  the  existing  condition. 
WHiy  should  they  expend  such  a  vast  sum,  when  thej' 
were  able  to  do  business  on  such  a  profitable  scale  1  The 
manager  explained  that  within  the  two  preceding  years 
such  improvements  had  been  made  in  methods  and  ma- 
chinery that,  as  soon  as  other  plants  should  install  the 
improved  machinery,  this  plant  would  be  put  out  of 
business.  To  hold  their  place  in  the  market  they  must 
rebuild,  and  by  doing  so  at  once  they  not  only  would 
be  able  to  hold  tlieir  place,  but  their  profits  would  be 
so  increased  as  to  more  than  repay  fo"  all  outlay.  The 
directors  were  not  able  to  see  the  wisdom  of  the  course. 
The  manager  at  once  proffered  his  resignation.  Un- 
willing to  lose  so  pood  a  man,  th(>y  reconsidered  and  told 
him  to  go  aliead,  they  would  pay  tlic  l)il]s.  Five  years 
proved  till'  correctness  of  tlie  nianngcr's  position.  Tlie 
new  machinery  had  been  installed,  and  the  profits  had 


A  DUTY 


203 


not  only  paid  for  it  in  full,  but  the  annual  average  divi- 
dend had  beeJi  larger  than  during  any  five  years  in  the 
history  of  the  company.  The  expense  had  been  greatly 
reduced,  the  output  doubled,  and  the  business  was  far 
ahead  of  what  it  had  ever  promised  to  be.  The  church 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  seems  to  be  nearing  a  condi- 
tion something  like  that  of  this  steel  plant.  The  de- 
mand for  the  output  is  so  great  that  the  Christian 
church  is  embarrassed  beyond  measure.  Our  Boards 
are  demanding  more  money,  saying  they  must  have  it. 
They  are  calling  for  more  men.  The  duty  is  placed 
upon  our  hearts,  we  are  made  to  feel  ourselves  under  the 
obligation  in  some  way  to  meet  these  calls.  In  what  way 
shall  we  do  this  ?  Shall  it  be  by  increasing  our  gifts  and 
continuing  our  present  wasteful  policy  of  squandering 
the  Lord's  money?  Or  shall  we  seek  to  increase  our 
efficiency  by  the  way  that  we  use  the  money  we  now 
give,  and  the  men  already  in  the  field?  Shall  we  seek 
to  reform  our  wasteful  methods?  Good  business  judg- 
ment would  seem  to  suggest  such  a  course.  Suppose 
there  were  brought  about  organic  unity  among  our 
churches.  Suppose  that  it  were  made  possible  to  close 
up  every  building  in  our  countiy  which  the  actual  re- 
ligious needs  of  the  community  do  not  require,  suppose 
that  every  man  thus  liberated,  who  is  efficient,  went  into 
a  field,  at  the  present  unoccupied,  what  would  be  the 
result?  In  all  probability  the  money  liberated  in  the 
diminished  expense  at  home  would  enable  us  to  increase 
our  present  missionary  income  tenfold.  This  would  be 
done  without  the  Christian  people  giving  a  single  dollar 
more  than  they  are  now  giving.  The  work  at  home  not 
only  would  not  in  a  single  respect  be  weakened,  but 
would  be  actually  strengthened.  Such  a  movement 
would  leave  us  as  many  pastors  and  preachers  at  home 
as  we  need,  and  send  forth  a  great  host,  more  than  t(!n 
times  as  many  as  are  there  now,  into  the  foreign  fields. 
Such  a  iuov(!iiient  would  eiiabii!  the  eluifch,  without 
raising  another  dollar,  to  build,  e(|uii)  and  man  hun- 
dreds of  hospitals  where  they  arc  so  much  needed.  It 


204 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


would  enable  the  church  to  establish  schools  by  the 
hundred  in  the  dark  and  distant  regions.  It  would  mul- 
tiply the  efficiency  of  the  church  tenfold,  making  it  possi- 
ble for  the  last  man  in  the  world  to  hear  the  Gospel 
within  the  next  ten  years,  without  requiring  a  dollar 
more  in  money,  or  a  single  additional  man.  All  this 
would  be  accomplished  by  simply  increasing  our  efficiency 
at  home  and  abroad. 

The  church  of  our  day  is  meeting  with  another  em- 
bai'rassment.  For  some  time  there  has  come  up  the 
complaint  that  there  is  a  dearth  of  candidates  for  the 
ministry.  We  are  told  that  not  enough  young  men  are 
ottering  themselves  to  take  the  place  of  those  who  are 
falling  out  because  of  age  and  other  intirmities.  Our 
educators  have  been  telling  us  of  this  shortage  for  a 
decade  or  more.  Should  it  continue  the  day  is  not  dis- 
tant when  the  church  must  suffer  from  this  deficiency. 
Among  the  causes  we  are  confident  the  following  should 
be  given  a  place. 

First,  the  old  controversies  between  denominations,  as 
denominationalism  is  less  emphasized,  are  gradually  dy- 
ing out.  This  means  that  the  kind  of  zeal  which  is  the 
protluct  of  such  controversy  is  tlisappearing.  The  young 
men  who  formerly  entered  the  ministry  under  the  im- 
pulse which  came  from  heated  contention  are  no  longer 
moved  by  such  things,  for  they  have  ceased  to  exist. 
During  the  day  of  bitter  controversy  there  was  no  dearth 
of  candidates  for  the  ministry.  As  the  controversial 
spirit  disappears,  this  source  of  ministerial  zeal  will 
cease  to  exist. 

In  most  denominations  it  has  been  maintained  that  the 
young  man  received  "a  call"  to  the  ministry.  It  luw 
been  believed  that  God  by  His  Spirit  called  those  whom 
He  desired  to  enter  this  office,  and  made  the  call  known 
to  them  in  some  manner.  If  this  belief  be  correct,  and 
we  are  disposed  to  accei)t  it,  are  we  to  suppose  that  (Jod 
will  "call"  into  this  sacred  office  five  or  six  or  ten  times 
as  many  as  are  really  needed,  simply  to  gratify  the  de- 


A  DUTY 


205 


nominatioual  ambitions  of  the  church  loaders'/  Is  the 
gnidiial  diniiiiutioii  of  the  candidates  for  the  Gospel 
ministry  to  be  interpreted  as  having  any  bearing  upon 
the  Divine  approval  or  disapproval  of  denominational- 
ism  V  It  is  inevitable  that  we  should  ask,  What  does  it 
mean?  It  may  be  possible  that  had  we  not  to  such  an 
extent  increased  our  denominational  organizations  so 
that  if  we  fill  all  our  pulpits  we  must  have  many  times 
as  many  men  as  would  otherwise  be  required,  or  could 
there  be  a  wise  combination  of  unnecessary  church  or- 
ganizations we  still  would  have  all  the  men  we  need. 
We  could  demand  a  higher  grade  of  men,  and  require 
them  to  be  better  prepared  than  they  are  at  present. 
But  we  take  the  most  extravagant  and  wa^steful  way, 
and  with  a  multitude  of  men  we  seek  to  carry  forward 
the  work  of  the  church.  Should  we  be  required  to  jus- 
tify our  course  we  would,  of  necessity,  be  forced  to  fol- 
low something  of  this  line  of  defense.  We  keep  our 
money  away  from  the  Heathen  world,  and  hold  our  men 
at  home,  that  in  every  little  village  some  of  us  may  hear 
the  Gospel  from  the  lips  of  a  Methodist  preacher,  an- 
otiier  from  a  Baptist,  another  from  a  Presbyterian  and 
another  from  an  Episcopalian.  Because  we  desire  this 
more  than  we  do  the  extension  of  the  kingdom  of  God 
we  deliberately  squander  immense  sums  of  money  upoji 
ourselves  and  let  the  non-Christian  world  live  on  un- 
evangelized,  and  spend  eternity  where  those  we  are  told 
must  do  not  serve  Christ.  It  is  true  that  it  is  the  same 
Gospel  which  each  of  these  preachers  give,  but  we  de- 
sire to  have  it  smack  of  that  particular  flavor  which 
these  particular  men  can  give  to  it.  It  is  true  that  the 
Methodist  brother  would  be  asked  to  believe  in  the  same 
C'lirist  in  a  Presbyterian  Church,  and  the  Presbyterian 
woid<l  he  taught  the  same  kind  of  a  holy  life  should  he 
attend  the  Episcopal  Church,  but  then,  while  we  cannot 
tell  the  difference  in  the  Gospel  coming  from  these  dif- 
ferent men,  we  have;  a  more  comfortable  feeling,  tlu^re 
is  a  geiniinc  sal ist'adion  in  iccciving  it  from  a  man  who 
bears  the  particular  stamp-  which  by  accident  we  happen 


206 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


to  have  adopted.  That  we  may  be  permitted  to  have 
this  f)artit'ular  kind  of  pleasure  and  satisfaction  we  form 
our  little  groups,  and  as  Baptists,  Presbyterians,  Metho- 
dists, Episcopalians,  we  get  a  preacher,  such  as  we  can 
find,  having  our  stripe  of  religion,  and  say  to  the  mil- 
lions in  pagan  darkness,  Wait,  for  we  feel  so  much  more 
comfortable  to  do  as  we  are  doing.  We  say  this,  while 
it  is  true  that  with  nine  churches  out  of  ten  every  dol- 
lar which  we  put  into  the  home  work  is  holding  back 
the  dollar  which  might  go  to  the  heathen  world.  By 
this  method  not  only  do  we  keep  good  money  from  its 
legitimate  work  in  foreign  lands,  but  we  use  it  at  home 
in  such  a  way  as  greatly  to  retard  the  progress  of  the 
kingdom  of  God  here.  The  money  which  is  used,  unnec- 
essarily in  some  little  American  village,  if  it  had  been 
sent  abroad  would  have  resulted  in  the  conversion  of 
hundreds  of  men  and  women.  But  while  we  are  sorry 
that  this  is  so,  and  while  we  are  ready  to  admit  that  the 
situation  is  unfortunate,  and  we  devoutly  pray  that  the 
Great  Head  of  the  church  may  heal  our  divisions  and 
make  us  one,  we  go  right  ahead  without  doing  one  real 
vital  thing  to  heal  the  differences,  or  to  put  a  stop  to 
the  evil.  Some  one  must  be  in  some  measure  responsible 
for  this.  Some  one  has  a  duty.  No  board  of  directors 
in  a  great  commercial  enterprise  would  for  a  moment 
tolerate  such  a  management  of  a  business  for  gain 
as  characterizes  the  Protestant  Church  to-day.  If  a 
fire  should  break  out  and  burn  to  the  ground  all  the 
church  buildings  in  all  our  small  towns,  and  then  the 
different  denominations  should  come  together  and  put 
up  a  single  building,  it  would  be  an  iinqualified  ble-ssing 
to  the  entire  community.  Could  such  conflagrations  be- 
come general,  in  country  villages  and  larger  cities,  and 
similar  unions  follow,  it  would  be  the  commencement  of 
the  greatest  revival  in  pure  and  undefiled  religion  which 
this  world  has  known  in  millenniums.  What  an  admis- 
sion to  make  concerning  the  methods  of  the  church  of 
Clirist!  What  a  scatliing  condemnation  of  the  leader- 
ship of  the  church  which  continues  unimproved  such  a 


A  DUTY 


207 


conditiou.  In  any  other  management  than  that  of  the 
church  leadei's  wlio  were  unable  to  improve  such  a  situ- 
ation would  be  pronounced  incompetent,  and  their  resig- 
nations would  be  demanded.  But  because  we  are  in 
Christian  work,  and  are  able  to  appeal  to  prejudice,  and 
the  spirit  of  emulation,  we  strive  to  work  up  what  is 
known  as  a  spirit  of  loyalty  to  one's  own  church,  while 
we  cause  the  great  Christian  brotherhood  of  men  to  ap- 
pear before  the  world  as  waging  a  bitter  fight.  The 
battles  were  once  fought  with  carnal  weapons,  and  men 
were  haled  to  dungeons  and  the  stake  because  they  could 
not  agree  with  those  in  authority.  We  have  passed  this 
stage,  and  have  arrived  at  the  place  where  we  can  put  a 
keener  edge  upon  our  weapons,  and  by  competition, 
silent,  continuous,  relentless,  cruel,  we  push  our  com- 
petitors to  the  wall,  and  where  it  becomes  possible,  crush 
the  life  out  of  them.  And  this  we  are  pleased  to  call  the 
spirit  of  Christianity. 

It  is  now  frequently  said  that  the  spirit  of  contention, 
so  prevalent  but  recently,  has  very  largely  died  out.  We 
are  told  that  controversy  has  ceased.  Here  and  there 
some  enthusiast  is  preaching  a  gospel  of  church  unity. 
It  is,  however,  true  that  the  great  mass  of  the  church, 
both  of  the  membership  and  the  ministry,  remains  in  a 
state  of  practical  indifference.  We  are  drifting,  and 
each  denomination  is  striving  to  fasten  and  make  more 
secure  her  own  stakes.  We  seem  to  have  inherited  a  situ- 
ation, which  we  are  doing  our  best  to  continue,  and 
are  planning  to  hand  over  to  our  children,  where  their 
chance  of  carrying  confusion  to  all  other  denominations 
will  be  far  better  than  we  have  had.  For  us  to  succeed 
is  to  deepen  the  grip  of  denominationalism.  As  a  Pres- 
byterian I  strive  to  make  Presbyterianism  stronger,  and 
the  Methodist  brother  works  day  and  night  to  strengthen 
his  denomination.  If  we  all  succeed,  while  externally 
we  may  conduct  a  less  boi.sterous  warfare  than  was  for- 
merly done,  it  will  be  a  more  determined  one.  Now  it 
is  time  that  something  were  done  to  put  a  stop  to  this 
struggling,  divisive,  unchristian  spirit.   Some  one  has  a 


208 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


duty  to  perform.  If  we  study  the  situation  fairly  it 
would  seem  that  to-day  there  rests  upon  the  church 
the  duty  of  organic  unity.  The  Christian  church  is 
made  up  of  warring  factions.  It  becomes  the  duty  of 
the  factions  to  come  together.  It  is  the  duty  of  the 
church  at  large.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  denominations. 
It  is  the  duty  of  the  individual  church  in  the  denomi- 
nation. It  is  the  duty  of  the  individual  member  in  the 
individual  church  of  the  denomination.  The  duty  rests 
upon  the  leaders  of  the  church,  the  teachers  and  pro- 
fessors in  our  educational  institutions,  the  Secretaries  of 
our  various  Boards,  the  company  of  religious  editors,  the 
leaders  in  Presbyteries,  Synods,  Assemblies,  Confer- 
ences and  the  officers  and  leaders  of  the  individual 
church.  It  is  our  duty,  each  and  all,  to  put  aside  per- 
sonal preferences,  and  to  labor  for  the  unity  of  the 
church  of  Christ.  It  is  our  duty  to  pray  that  the 
church  may  be  one.  After  we  have  offered  such  a 
prayer,  who  can  doubt  that  it  is  the  duty  of  each  one 
to  do  all  within  his  power  to  bring  about  an  answer  to 
his  prayer.  When  the  church  becomes  aroused,  and  all 
realizing  this  duty  enter  with  an  honest  purpose  upon 
the  attainment  of  this  much  to  be  desired  end,  not  long 
will  be  delayed  the  coming  together,  in  one  glorious  or- 
ganization, of  the  entire  visible  church  on  earth  accord- 
ing to  the  will  of  our  Blessed  Master.  Then  will  His 
prayer  be  answered,  and  His  disciples  will  be  one,  even 
as  the  Father  and  the  Son  are  one. 


CHAPTER  XII 


POSSIBILITIES 


OR  many  years  there  apparently  has  existed  the  set- 


tied  conviction  that  the  present  ecclesiastical  situa- 
tion is  practically  hopeless.  The  assumption  seems  to 
have  been  that  it  was  one  of  the  inborn  proclivities  of 
human  nature,  so  powerful  that  Divine  grace  was  help- 
less to  change  it,  to  be  forever  in  a  quarrel.  The  division 
of  the  church  into  denominations,  while  embarrassing 
her  progress,  was  still  necessary  to  enable  thinking  men 
to  be  honest.  Under  such  a  condition  the  most  for  which 
we  could  hope  would  be  a  kind  of  truce,  a  mutual  agree- 
ment not  to  turn  our  guns  upon  each  other.  A  substi- 
tute for  unity,  Federation,  has  been  suggested.  But 
there  must  be  no  exercise  of  authority,  or  the  federation 
would  fly  to  pieces  and  the  result  be  disastrous.  These 
asscinblies  of  the  churches  in  one  great  gathering  would 
serve  as  a  means  of  knowing  each  other  better,  and  of 
inspiration.  Such  a  thing  might  in  some  measure  lessen 
the  friction.  A  very  few  men,  and  some  of  them  schol- 
arly and  conservative,  have  had  the  temerity  openly  to 
advocate  an  organic  union  of  dismembered  Protestant- 
ism. The  leaders  of  the  church  still  smile  with  in- 
credulity at  the  suggestion  of  such  a  course.  They  listen 
patiently  to  addresses  which  sometimes  arc  made  advo- 
cating such  a  union.  The  address  being  ended  a  resolu- 
tion is  passed,  and  then  each  denomination  goes  on  re- 
pairing her  defenses  and  strengthening  her  fortifica- 
tions. But  it  must  be  admitted  that  in  recent  years  the 
numb(!r  of  those  who  are  (iis.satisfied  with  the  present 
situation  is  steadily  increasiTig.  More  men  are  becoming 
convinced  that  such  unnecessary  divisions  must  pain  the 


209 


210 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


Great  Head  of  the  church  and  that  something  should  be 
done  to  remedy  the  evil.  The  denominational  quarrel  is 
being  considered,  as  never  before,  a  denominational  sin. 
Many  believe  not  only  that  something  can  be  done  to 
right  the  wrong,  but  that  the  church  is  under  a  divine 
obligation  to  make  the  attempt.  There  are  men  in  the 
church  who  have  visions  of  great  possibilities  in  this  di- 
rection. As  soon  as  we,  who  are  Christians,  are  willing 
to  put  aside  personal  prejudices,  and  denominational 
pride,  and  in  the  spirit  of  true  Christian  humility  com- 
mence to  pray  for  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in 
the  hearts  of  believers,  there  are  not  a  few  who  believe 
that  obstacles  will  disappear  and  that  the  divided 
church  will  be  reunited.  Efforts  at  union  are  already 
in  progress  among  three  of  the  great  denominations  in 
Canada.  The  attempt  is  being  made  on  mission  fields 
with  a  measure  of  success.  In  some  fields  family  groups 
have  come  together  and  formed  a  single  church.  This 
is  especially  true  of  the  Presbyterian  families,  in  Japan, 
Korea,  and  India.  If  such  efforts  should  continue,  why 
might  it  not  be  possible  to  secure  a  union  in  the  mission 
field  of  all  denominations?  We  are  admitting  to-day 
that  all  evangelical  denominations  are  genuinely  Chris- 
tian. We  compliment  each  other  upon  the  harmonious 
spirit  which  exists  among  us.  Then  why  not  come  to- 
gether ?  If  it  be  true,  as  we  all  profess,  that  at  heart  we 
are  so  solidly  one,  why  should  it  be  a  difficult  thing  for 
us  to  complete  the  union  and  assume  the  outward  form? 
If  it  be  not  true,  as  we  represent,  that  we  are  so  har- 
monious, if  our  differences  have  engendered  such  a  spirit 
of  contention  that  it  has  rendered  union  impossible,  then 
we  should  be  honest  and  admit  it.  But  to  admit  this, 
in  an  honest  spirit,  would  require  that  we  go  farther, 
and  seek  that  such  a  spirit  should  disappear,  and  that 
the  true  spirit  of  Christ  should  be  manifest  in  all  our 
lives.  If  we  would  not  do  this  it  would  be  an  open 
declaration  that  the  different  branches  of  the  Christian 
chureli  are  so  bitterly  hostile  to  each  other  that  they 
cannot  live  together  in  peace.   The  denominations  would 


POSSIBILITIES 


211 


appear  like  the  tribes  of  savages  who  roam  the  wilds  of 
an  unexplored  continent,  ever  on  the  warpath.  What 
Christians  say  of  the  sects  of  Buddhism  and  Moham- 
medanism is  just  as  true  of  our  own  body.  If  the  exist- 
ing sects  in  these  non-Christian  bodies  are  evidences  of 
their  human  origin,  and  that  God  is  not  with  them,  may 
not  the  existence  of  similar  sects  in  the  body  of  Chris- 
tians justify  a  similar  inference  concerning  the  Chris- 
tian church?  We  believe  that  the  church  of  Christ  is 
really  a  Divine  institution.  Her  origin  came  from  God. 
Now  let  us  ask,  which  of  the  denominations,  the  splits 
which  have  gone  off  from  the  church,  can  claim  that  it 
is  of  divine  origin.  Where  we  have  so  many  conflicting 
claims,  something  more  than  the  claim  is  surely  required 
to  show  that  our  claim  is  just.  But  little  examination 
can  be  required  to  find  the  heat  of  human  nature  in 
every  split.  Denominationalism  is  its  own  condemna- 
tion. It  must  be  possible  if  we  go  back  to  the  church  as 
it  was,  to  find  that  kind  of  an  organization  which  can 
bear  the  stamp  of  God. 

As  we  study  the  possibility  of  healing  what  we  must 
pronounce  to  be  the  ungodly  divisions  now  existing  in 
the  church,  we  are  forced  to  ask.  How  can  such  a  union 
be  brought  about?  In  this  we  see  the  possibility.  But 
we  say  there  must  be  agreement,  else  how  can  two  walk 
together.  There  must  be  some  basis  on  which  we  may 
get  together.  This  basis  must  have  two  sides.  There 
must  of  necessity  be  some  basis  of  credal  agreement. 
Unless  a  church  believe  something  concerning  God, 
Christ,  a  Christian  life,  it  cannot  exist.  There  can  be 
no  agreement  unless  there  be  something  upon  which  per- 
sons agree.  If  two  men  find  that  they  both  believe  in 
God,  they  have  found  a  place  where  they  agree.  The 
reunited  church  must  believe  something,  and  what  this 
church  believes  can  be  the  creed.  In  the  past  most  of 
tlie  differences  which  have  resulted  in  the  forming  of 
denominalions  have  been  along  credal  lines.  The  church 
has  learned  lier  lesson  liow  to  split  on  creeds.  Now  can 
she  learn  how  to  come  together  on  a  creed  ?   This  is  one 


212 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


of  the  questions  which  confronts  the  student  of  church 
union  under  existing  circumstances. 

There  are  some  things  now  upon  which  all  denomina- 
tions agree.  All  agree  that  to  be  a  Christian  it  is  neces- 
sary to  believe  in  God.  The  Christian,  all  believe,  must 
believe  in  the  Scriptures,  the  book  given  by  God  through 
inspiration,  in  which  we  find  the  duties  which  God  re- 
quires of  us,  and  the  things  which  we  are  to  believe  con- 
cerning Him.  AVe  must  believe  some  things  concerning 
Christ,  including  His  birth,  His  life,  His  teachings.  His 
death  and  His  relation  to  the  penitent  sinner.  We  must 
believe  something  concerning  a  future  life  and  a  coming 
judgment.  Without  some  kind  of  belief  upon  all  these 
things  it  would  be  impossible  to  be  a  Christian.  As  a 
matter  of  fact  there  is  practical  agreement  among  the 
denominations.  In  that  very  ancient  Creed  known  as 
the  Apostles'  Creed  we  have  a  form  of  words  which  sets 
forth  the  position  of  the  church.  Not  only  were  the 
things  stated  in  this  Creed  the  faith  of  the  early  church, 
but  through  the  ages  they  have  continued  to  be  the  faith 
of  the  church.  Not  only  does  evangelical  Protestantism 
accept  this  Creed,  but  the  Komau  Catholic  and  prac- 
tically the  Greek  Catholic  Churches  as  well.  We  may 
go  farther  and  say  that  this  Creed  gives  what  a  man 
nuist  believe  that  he  may  be  a  Christian.  In  the  early 
church,  especially  in  the  Apostolic  Church,  very  little 
was  required  in  a  credal  way  of  a  convert.  The  essen- 
tial thing,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Ethiopian  Eunuch  and 
(vornelius,  was  an  intelligent  confession  of  faith  in  Jesus 
Clirist  as  the  Divine  Savior.  This  much  was  required. 
Scholars  have  agreed  that  from  the  day  of  Pentecost 
there  has  been  a  creed  and  that  it  was  probably  based 
upon  the  baptismal  formula  found  in  the  closing  verses 
of  the  Gospel  of  Matthew.  In  those  early  days  the  cus- 
tom of  placing  in  the  creed  a  system  of  theology,  based 
upon  a  system  of  philosophy,  fitted  to  meet  the  attacks 
of  all  types  of  unbelief  had  not  appeared.  In  the  simple 
creed  there  was  no  reference  to  false  systems  of  re- 
ligion.  The  creed  was  not  made  as  a  weapon  against  in- 


POSSIBILITIES 


213 


fidelity,  or  for  the  outside  world,  condemning  all  that 
was  not  true,  and  including  all  that  was  true.  It  was 
not  made  to  defeat  heresy,  or  to  teach  the  orthodox,  but 
as  an  expression  of  true  simple  faith.  The  Apostles' 
Creed  we  find  sufficiently  comprehensive  to  include  all 
that  is  essential  to  make  a  genuine  Christian.  Some  years 
ago  an  effort  was  in  progress  to  organize  what  has  since 
been  known  as  the  "Church  of  Christ,"  in  Japan.  It 
was  to  be  the  Japanese  church  of  the  Presbyterian  type. 
In  this  was  to  be  included  bodies  of  all  kinds  of  Pres- 
byterians, and  the  Reformed  (Dutch)  Church.  The  mis- 
sionaries as  the  leaders  and  teachers  were  attempting 
to  control  and  direct  the  movement.  Loyal  to  their 
home  training  and  their  occidental  convictions,  they 
proposed  tliat  the  creed  of  the  new  church  should  con- 
sist of  the  Westminster  Confession  of  Faith,  the  Larger 
and  Shorter  Catechisms,  together  with  the  Canons  of  the 
Synod  of  Dort  and  the  Heidelberg  Catechism.  This 
gave  a  creed  sufficiently  comprehensive  to  satisfy  the 
missionaries  of  all  the  churches.  The  Japanese  clergy- 
men, who  were  theologically  sound,  and  readily  accepted 
the  doctrinal  positions  of  all  these  churches,  insisted 
that  a  briefer  statement  should  be  made.  Their  reason 
was  that  it  had  been  found,  even  among  the  educated 
clas.ses,  and  in  the  ministry,  that  the  Japanese  cared 
little  for  the  creed  winch  had  come  from  America.  The 
Westminster  Standards  and  the  Canons  of  Dort  had 
failed  to  hold  a  place  in  the  church,  they  were  not  dis- 
believed, or  rejected,  but  were  neglected,  were  not  even 
read  with  care.  The  Catechisms  were  not  taught.  Much 
disctussion  had  taken  place  before  the  nu'cting  of  the 
Synod,  and  th(!  missionaries  had  brought  no  little  pres- 
sure to  bear  upon  the  native  clergy  to  bring  them  to 
adopt  the  proposed  symbols.  At  the  meeting  of  the 
Synod,  against  the  ex{)res.sed  desire  of  the  inissionaries, 
a  resolution  was  introduced  by  a  Japanese  pastor,  pro- 
I)osing  to  make  the.  Apostles'  Creed  the  .sob;  symbol  of 
the  new  cliurcli.  The  missionaries  were  startled.  Dis- 
cussion followed  in  which  the  Japanese  clergy  advocated 


214 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


the  adoption  of  the  resolution  and  the  missionaries  op- 
posed. Unusual  earnestness  and  not  a  little  warmth  was 
manifested.  The  time  to  adjourn  for  the  day  arrived 
much  to  the  relief  of  all.  Both  sides  looked  forward  to 
the  next  day  with  solicitude.  On  the  afternoon  of  the 
second  day  discussion  was  discontinued  while  the  sacra- 
ment of  the  Lord's  Supper  was  administered.  The  ar- 
guments presented  by  one  side,  almost  entirely  by  the 
missionaries,  was  the  old  one  that  the  forms  of  unbelief 
which  should  be  met,  and  were  common  in  Japan,  were 
not  clearly  touched  by  the  Apostles '  Creed,  consequently 
a  more  extensive  creed  should  be  prepared.  This  was 
the  Occidental  view.  The  Japanese  maintained  that 
their  creed  was  not  for  those  outside  the  church,  but 
for  Christians.  They  were  making  a  Creed  for  believ- 
ers alone.  As  the  Synod  opened  on  the  following  morn- 
ing a  Japanese  pastor  presented  the  following  creed : 

"The  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  whom  we  worship  as  God, 
the  Only  Begotten  Son  of  God,  for  us  men  and  for  our 
salvation  was  made  man  and  suffered.  He  offered  us 
a  perfect  sacrifice  for  sin ;  and  all  who  are  one  with  Him 
by  faith  are  pardoned  and  accounted  righteous;  and 
faith  in  Him  working  by  love  purifies  the  heart. 

"The  Holy  Ghost,  Who  with  the  Father  and  the  Sou 
is  worshipped  and  glorified,  reveals  Jesus  Christ  to  the 
soul ;  and  without  His  grace  man  being  dead  in  sin  can- 
not enter  the  kingdom  of  God.  By  Him  the  prophets 
and  the  Apostles  and  holy  men  of  old  were  inspired ; 
and  He,  speaking  in  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments,  is  the  supreme  and  infallible  Judge  in  all 
things  pertaining  to  faith  and  living. 

"Prom  these  Holy  Scriptures  the  ancient  church  of 
Christ  drew  its  confession;  and  we,  holding  the  faith 
once  delivered  to  the  saints,  join  in  that  confession  with 
praise  and  thanksgiving."  (Here  follows  the  Apostles' 
Creed.) 

We  find  in  this  Creed,  short,  simple,  inclusive,  noth- 
ing which  is  not  believed  by  all  Protestant  denomina- 


POSSIBILITIES 


215 


tions,  as  well  as  by  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  "We 
can  see  no  reason  why  the  Korean  Christians,  the  Chi- 
nese Christians,  the  Christians  of  India  and  America 
could  not  all  subscribe  to  this  Creed.  It  is  true  that  we 
believe  a  great  deal  more  than  the  Creed  contains,  but 
we  do  believe  all  that  it  includes.  No  man  can  sincerely 
subscribe  to  this  Creed  who  is  not  a  Christian.  If  he 
believe  these  things  he  is  a  Christian.  The  religious 
thinker  and  student  could  formulate  for  himself  a  creed 
which  should  contain  ten  thousand  articles,  but  so  long 
as  it  was  in  harmony  with  this  brief  statement  he  would 
remain  unhampered  by  this  Creed.  Nothing  is  said  con- 
cerning Baptism,  or  its  mode  of  administration,  nor 
concerning  the  Sacrament  of  the  Supper.  Neither  does 
the  Apostles'  Creed  touch  these  and  many  other  things. 
Why  not  leave  such  questions  outside  the  Creed?  But 
the  church,  we  think  unwisely,  has  said  that  this  shall 
not  be.  That  we  may  have  fellowship  in  some  denomina- 
tions the  mode  of  baptism  must  be  settled.  Another 
church  makes  much  of  the  decrees,  while  another  has 
much  to  say  concerning  free-will.  Other  questions  are 
settled  just  as  definitely.  Each  denomination  has 
thrown  about  itself  a  wall  of  credal  statements.  It  is  in- 
tended that  this  shall  keep  all  outsiders  on  the  outside 
and  all  who  are  inside  on  the  inside.  Yet  with  all  these 
churches  it  is  readily  admitted  that  the  others  are  just 
as  truly  Christian.  One  is  led  to  ask.  How  can  we  recon- 
cile such  a  course  with  the  commandment  of  Jesus? 
"John  answered  him,  saying.  Master,  we  saw  one  cast- 
ing out  devils  in  thy  name  and  he  followed  not  us:  and 
we  forbade  him,  because  he  followed  not  us.  But  Jesus 
said,  Foi'bid  him  not:  for  there  is  no  man  which  shall 
do  a  miracle  in  my  name,  that  can  lightly  speak  evil  of 
me."    (Mark  IX:  38,  39.) 

That  such  a  simplified  creed,  as  this  adopted  by  the 
Japanese  church,  is  a  practical  working  creed,  that  a 
denomination  liohling  such  a  Creed  can  do  effective  work 
for  Christ  has  been  demonstrated  during  a  series  of 
years.    It  is  far  from  easy  to  hold  together  the  forces 


2TG 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


of  a  Christian  organization  in  a  land  just  emerging  from 
the  darkness  of  heathenism.  The  diffieulties  are  more 
numerous  and  trying  than  in  a  country  like  our  own, 
where  there  are  traditions,  formed  through  centuries 
to  guide  in  all  possible  emergencies.  Many  of  the  pas- 
tors came  from  families  where  idolatry  was  practiced. 
The  great  mass  of  the  people,  the  educated  and  influen- 
tial classes,  still  worship  in  heathen  temples.  The 
ethical  system  of  the  country  is  still  held  by  the  debasing 
conditions  of  heathenism.  The  old  views  and  supersti- 
tions, the  inheritance  of  ages,  die  hard.  Two  and  three 
generations  of  Christian  training  scarcely  suffice  to  ob- 
literate wholly  the  old  errors.  Still  further  to  compli- 
cate the  situation,  the  rationalistic  and  materialistic 
philosophies  of  the  Occident  have  found  their  way  to  the 
far  East  and  their  most  persuasive  and  powerful  books 
are  read  by  the  multitudes.  If  anywhere  the  Christian 
cluirch  needed  to  be  carefully  guarded  one  would  sup- 
pose that  it  would  be  in  a  land  like  Japan.  Yet  as  an 
actual  fact,  "The  Church  of  Christ  of  Japan,"  with  its 
simple  Creed,  is  as  wide  awake  and  prosperous  as  the 
church  in  America.  The  Japanese  Christians  experi- 
ence no  embarrassment  because  their  Creed  does  not  in- 
clude more.  They  have  less  theological  difficulty  than 
we  have  at  home.  They  have  demonstrated  in  that  coun- 
try the  feasibility  of  a  brief,  comprehensive  credal  state- 
ment as  the  basis  of  a  strong  ecclesiastical  organization. 
Without  any  impropriety  we  might  suppose  that  any 
Christian  clergyman,  or  any  educated  thoughtful  be- 
liever who  could  accept  this  Creed,  would  find  himself 
perfectly  at  home  in  this  organization.  Why  not?  If 
he  were  not  a  Christian  he  could  not  accept  this  Creed. 
If  he  be  a  genuine  Christian  why  shou'd  trouble  arise? 
It  leaves  him  perfectly  free  to  preach  the  whole  Gospel. 
This  Creed  is  sufficient  guide  to  hold  one  down  to  the 
orthodox  evangelical  positions  of  the  church. 

To  .study  another  exami)le  of  a  working  successful 
church  without  an  elaborate  credal  statement,  we  may 
turn  to  the  first  three  centuries  of  the  Christian  church. 


POSSIBILITIES 


217 


There  was  no  lengthy  statement  of  theological  belief. 
Each  of  the  leading  chiirehos  appears  to  have  formed 
its  own  Creed,  based  upon  the  general  baptismal  form- 
ula. We  find  a  variety  of  creeds  in  the  first  centuries. 
Fragmentary  accounts  of  these  have  come  down  to  us 
through  the  Church  Fathers.  As  far  back  as  Irenaeus 
we  find  reference  to  such  creeds.  Tertullian,  Cyprian 
of  Carthage,  Xovatian,  Gregory  and  others  refer  to 
them.  There  appears  to  have  been  essential  agreement 
among  them  all.  Not  until  the  Council  of  Nicea,  325, 
was  there  an  effort  to  formulate  an  extensive  creed 
which  should  be  binding  upon  the  entire  church.  We 
see,  therefore,  that  for  centuries  a  simple  creed  suf- 
ficed for  all  purposes.  During  these  centuries  the 
church  pa.ssed  through  some  of  her  most  trying  experi- 
ences. Not  only  were  there  violent  perseciitions,  with 
martyrdom  for  many,  but  the  church  was  forced  to  con- 
tend with  the  far  more  powerful  and  dangerous  influ- 
ences of  Greek  learning  and  philosophy.  It  was  neces- 
sary for  her  to  meet  and  overthrow  Roman  heathenism, 
which  was  intrenched  in  the  government.  She  was  com- 
pelled to  meet  and  drive  out  the  superstitions  of  cen- 
turies which  were  in  every  walk  of  life.  The  most  pow- 
erful rulers  of  the  most  mighty  nation  employed  all  their 
power  and  cunning  to  overthrow  and  obliterate  the 
Christian  church.  It  would  seem  that  under  such  con- 
ditions if  the  church  were  to  be  held  together  it  would 
be  necessary  that  there  should  be  a  creed  sufficiently 
broad  to  exclude  every  form  of  error  and  to  include 
(!very  important  truth.  But  with  a  brief,  concise  state- 
ment, but  little  longer  than  the  Apastles'  Creed,  the 
church  of  Christ  was  able  to  fight  the  battles  of  the 
first  four  hundred  years  of  her  existence,  and  made  the 
greatest  conquests  in  her  history. 

It  may,  however,  be  said  that  a  creed  is  not  the  only 
('s.S('iitial  in  the  development  of  the  churcb.  Much  de- 
pends upon  tlie  organization,  the  ecclesiastical  machin- 
ery. While  tills  is  admitted  it  may  Ik-  .said  that  Ihe 
polity  is  considered  far  less  a  matter  of  conscience  than 


218 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


the  theology  of  church.  One  is  surprised  that  for  the 
first  sixteen  centuries  of  the  history-  of  the  church's  ex- 
istence there  appeared  no  real  divergence  in  polity.  The 
Eastern  and  the  Western  church,  after  they  separated 
because  of  theological  differences  retained  practically 
the  ancient  form  of  government  and  organization.  This 
fact  is  a  demonstration  positive  that  a  single  organiza- 
tion can  be  effectively  applied  to  all  the  church.  We 
find  divergences  of  %aews  in  all  denominations.  There 
are  high  churchmen  and  low  churchmen  in  every  or- 
ganization. In  every  denomination  we  find  some  ready 
to  enter  the  arena  to  maintain  that  the  polity  of  their 
particular  church  bears  the  stamp  of  Apostolic  author- 
ity. It  is  the  ecclesiastical  government  contained  in  the 
Scriptures.  But  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  teach- 
ings of  the  Apostles  are  scarcely  clear  along  this  line. 
It  ought  to  be  easier  to  handle  this  side  of  the  question 
when  the  churches  combine.  This  should  become  easier 
when  we  face  the  fact  that  for  several  centuries  reasona- 
bly good  work  has  been  done  under  a  large  variety  of 
ecclesiastical  organization.  No  one  would  assume  to  say 
that  the  Christian  Church  could  not  govern  herself  suc- 
cessfully and  very  satisfactorily  under  an  Episcopal 
type  of  government.  While  some  may  think  it  rather 
difficult  to  trace  this  form  of  government  back  to  the 
churches  which  St.  Paul  organized,  while  many  may 
believe  that  there  is  evidence  that  the  first  churches 
were  probably  under  another  type  of  polity,  yet  it  is 
true  that  in  the  age  immediately  following  the  Apostles 
the  Episcopal  forms  are  unmistakably  found.  From 
the  close  of  the  first  century  to  the  present  time  this 
type  of  church  government  has  manifested  its  ability 
to  meet  every  possible  emergency  which  has  arisen.  It 
is  to-day  by  far  the  prevailing  type  of  ecclesiastical 
government.  The  whole  world  must  admit  that  a  Chris- 
tian church  can  live  and  prosper  under  this  form.  It 
has  shown  itself  to  be  the  most  stable  form,  and  has 
fewer  weaknesses  than  any  other. 
Another  important  type  of  church  government  is  the 


POSSIBILITIES 


219 


Presbyterian.  Not  a  few  who  hold  this  form  believe  that 
it  comes  the  nearest  to  the  biblical  form  of  any.  They 
point  to  the  synagogue  and  its  eldership  and  suggest 
that  the  first  churches  were  but  simply  Christian  syna- 
gogues. This  form  of  government,  if  it  were  the  origi- 
nal, commenced  to  undergo  a  process  of  modification  be- 
fore the  close  of  the  first  century.  In  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury it  reappeared  at  Geneva,  Switzerland,  and  its 
progress  and  success  since  that  time  entitles  it  to  the 
claim  of  being  a  successful  and  stable  type. 

Some  have  maintained  the  Congregational  type  as 
tenaciously  as  any  other,  as  being  the  only  simon  pure 
biblical  government  for  the  church.  In  actual  experi- 
ence its  friends  have  found  that  it  requires  to  be 
strengthened  and  supplemented  by  Conferences,  Coun- 
cils, and  Associations.  It  has  been  necessary  that  there 
should  be  some  real  tangible  bond  of  union  between  the 
separate  organizations. 

These  three  general  types  of  government  have  existed 
for  several  centuries.  Whatever  may  be  the  conviction 
of  individuals  concerning  which  one  is  to  be  preferred, 
every  man  must  admit  that  Christians  can  live  and  work 
under  either  one  of  them.  For  three  or  four  hundred 
years  men  have  so  lived  and  worked  under  the  Presby- 
terian and  Congregational  form  of  government.  For 
nearly  nineteen  liundred  years  they  have  lived  and 
worked  under  the  Episcopal  form.  Not  one  of  them 
can  successfully  claim  a  "Thus  saith  the  Lord"  for  its 
authority.  There  can  be  no  real  claim  that  the  Scrip- 
tures so  preclude  either  form  as  to  render  it  wrong. 
Some  speak  of  the  gathering  at  Jerusalem  in  the  year 
51  A.  D.  as  a  Council,  or  Conference;  others  refer  to 
the  same  gathering  as  a  Synod.  The  denominational 
connection  usually  determines  the  term  employed.  This 
illustrates  about  the  manner  in  which  a  man  seeks  to 
establi.sh  the  polity  of  his  church  from  the  Scriptures. 
The  Episcopalian  calls  certain  New  Testament  officers 
bishops,  while  the  Presbyterian  consistently  speaks  of 
them  as  elders.   Which  is  right  ?   What  does  it  matter, 


220 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


really,  i)rovided  the  spirit  of  the  Scriptures  be  not 
broken,  and  the  work  of  the  kingdom  be  carried  on  suc- 
cessfully? What  is  needed  is  a  deep  piety  and  a  thor- 
ough consecration  to  the  service  of  God,  and  then  faith- 
ful work  under  the  government  which  the  church 
adopts. 

The  point  pressed  in  this  chapter  is  that  it  is  possible 
for  the  various  denominations,  if  they  will,  to  agree 
upon  a  good  workable  creed,  which  will  bind  all  Chris- 
tians in  a  common  brotherhood,  so  that  they  be  unham- 
pered either  in  their  spiritual  development  and  re- 
ligious activities,  and  that  it  is  within  a  reasonable  pos- 
sibility for  all  Christians  to  come  together  under  a  sin- 
gle form  of  church  government.  If  this  be  possible, 
and  it  certainly  is,  if  men  will  be  fair,  then  we  may  raise 
the  question.  Why  is  it  not  done  ?  There  is  every  reason 
if  it  be  passible  that  it  shoxild  be  done,  and  done  at  the 
earliest  possible  date.  The  great  economy  in  the  admin- 
istration of  the  church  under  such  an  arrangement 
would  of  itself  justify  extreme  measures  in  the  effort 
to  bring  to  pass  .such  a  union.  The  reproach  of  a  di- 
vided church  demands  immediate  action  to  this  end. 
The  situation  of  our  modern  church  is  well  illustrated 
by  the  condition  of  the  church  in  Corinth  in  the  year 
59  A.  D.  How  it  came  about  we  are  not  sure,  but  at 
that  time  we  find  the  church  of  Corinth  divided  into 
four  distinct  warring  parties  or  sects.  They  had  not  at 
the  time  divided  the  church  and  organized  denomina- 
tional bodies,  but  appeared  ready  to  do  so.  There  was 
a  Paul  party,  and  Apollos  party,  a  Cephus  party,  and 
another  party  which  called  itself  the  Christ  party.  It 
is  possible  that  those  who  bore  the  name  of  Paul  were 
just  as  rigid  in  their  convictions  that  they  were  right 
and  all  the  others  wrong  as  are  the  modern  Presby- 
terians, or  Episcopalians.  Believing  themselves  to  be 
standing  upon  a  great,  fundamental  principle,  they  were 
as  determined  to  maintain  their  pasitioiis  as  are  the 
Methodists  or  Lutherans  of  our  day.  Suppose  that  the 
Paul  party,  in  order  that  they  might  give  their  testi- 


POSSIBILITIES 


221 


mony  without  iuterference  to  a  particular  phase  of  Gos- 
pel truth,  had  gone  out  of  the  church  aud  orgauized 
another  church,  forming  a  new  denomination.  Next  the 
Apollos  party  followed  and  there  were  three  denomina- 
tions. Later  the  Cephus  and  the  Christ  parties  sepa- 
rated, and  there  were  four  distinct  denominations  in 
Corinth.  They  erected  buildings,  and  entered  into  the 
struggle  to  secure  as  many  of  the  converts  from  heathen- 
ism into  their  respective  organizations  as  was  possible. 
All  this  was  done  with  much  prayer  and  self-sacrifice. 
There  was  the  kind  of  stimulation  which  came  from  such 
competition.  Each  party  or  sect  was  loyal  to  the  doc- 
trine which  it  claimed  to  receive  from  the  one  whose 
name  was  nailed  to  the  mast-head  of  the  denomination. 
Had  this  thing  been  carried  to  the  extent  which  we  have 
supposed,  and  new  denominations  been  formed,  as  was 
done  at  and  after  the  sixteenth  century,  how  Christen- 
dom would  have  been  shocked.  When  such  a  catastro- 
phe threatened  St.  Paul,  who  was  in  Asia,  detected  the 
danger  and  hastily  wrote  his  first  letter  to  that  Church. 
His  plea  is  one  of  the  most  earnest  and  pathetic  re- 
corded in  the  Scriptures.  The  Apostle  pleaded  in  the 
name  of  the  crucified  Christ  that  there  might  be  no  di- 
visions. In  such  a  course  as  seemed  before  the  church 
this  old  Apostle  seemed  to  see  the  greatest  catastrophe. 
He  condemned  the  spirit  and  the  kind  of  adherence  to 
doctrine  which  these  persons  assumed.  He  declared 
that  divisions  of  such  a  nature  were  unsound  in  doctrine 
and  that  those  who  caused  them  were  not  .serving  the 
Lord,  but  following  their  own  selfish  ends.  Yet  in  our 
day  we  see  Christians  in  the  United  States  divided  into 
one  hundred  and  fifty  sects,  and  more,  and  witliout  feel- 
ing under  the  necessity  of  giving  a  single  word  of  apol- 
ogy or  explanation.  Because  Cliristians  have  ceased  to 
burn  each  other,  or  to  cast  those  who  held  a  somewhat 
modified  creed  into  i)rison,  Ijeoause  we  no  longer  expel 
men  from  the  country  because  of  their  views,  nor  use 
the  whipping  post,  we  make  <i  great  boast  of  the  Ciirist 
spirit  which  we  mauifestj  and  talk  piously  of  the  won- 


222 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


derful  spirit  of  unity  which  binds  the  denominations 
together  in  the  bond  of  Christian  love.  Having  done 
this,  we  maintain  with  bitter  tenacity  all  the  old  divi- 
sions, and  are  forever  repairing  the  fences  which  shut 
in  our  beloved  denomination.  While  we  have  left  be- 
hind some  of  the  bitterness  of  the  past,  we  cling  tena- 
ciously to  the  fruits  of  the  controversies.  Have  we  not 
progressed  sufficiently,  has  not  the  Christian  of  the 
twentieth  century  arrived  at  the  measure  of  Christian 
culture  where  he  may  be  willing  to  stop  fighting  other 
Christians,  and  may  we  not  come  together  and  live 
peaceably  in  the  same  house,  as  members  of  the  same 
family?  Should  not  this  be  a  reasonable  possibility  for 
the  Christian  of  to-day? 


CHAPTER  XIII 


THE  NEXT  GREAT  AWAKENING 


TISTOM  SO  familiarizes  men  with  certain  experiences 


^that  many  things  which  under  normal  conditions 
would  give  a  moral  shock  lead  to  no  serious  considera- 
tion. There  was  a  time  in  Europe  when  men  were  rec- 
ognized as  consistent  Christians,  even  devout  religious 
leaders,  who  maintained  their  establishments  by  brig- 
andage and  robbery.  It  was  no  unusual  thing  that  ex- 
peditions led  by  these  men  resulted  in  the  slaughter  of 
many  persons  and  the  destruction  of  much  property. 
For  the  proprietor  of  a  landed  estate  in  Germany,  or 
France,  to-day  to  keep  about  him  a  company  of  armed 
men,  and  upon  every  opportunity  to  wage  war  upon 
other  landlords  and  estates,  slaying  the  owners,  taking 
prisoners  the  households,  and  carrying  off  the  harvest 
and  private  property  as  lawful  plunder,  would  arouse 
the  indignation  of  the  civilized  world.  It  would  bring 
down  upon  them  the  forces  of  government  and  the  of- 
fending persons  would  be  dealt  with  as  criminals.  But 
the  nature  of  the  deed  has  not  changed.  In  those  days 
men  were  accustomed  to  such  things  and  were  not  at  all 
disturbed  by  this  kind  of  savagery.  Some  thirty  years 
ago  there  was  a  pastor  in  Nova  Scotia,  who  had  held 
that  position  for  over  forty  years.  It  was  the  custom 
of  his  predecessor  to  announce  from  the  pulpit,  week 
by  week,  on  what  afternoons  he  would  call,  and  at  what 
particular  homes.  On  one  afternoon  as  he  was  return- 
ing from  such  a  series  of  calls  upon  a  lonely  country 
road  he  met  a  lad  of  twelve  or  fifteen  years,  who  was 
from  one  of  his  families.  Greeting  him  (cordially,  he 
added,  "Alex,  does  your  father  know  that  I  am  to  visit 


224 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


iu  your  borne  to-moiTow  T '  Taking  from  the  pocket  of 
his  coat  a  bottle  of  brandy,  he  hckl  it  np  and  said, 
' '  How  does  that  look  ?  "  A  pastor  who  seventy-five  years 
ago,  visiting  in  the  homes  of  a  thrifty  New  England 
community,  went  to  his  family  physician,  complaining 
that  after  making  several  visits  upon  bis  parishioners 
be  experienced  a  peculiar  lightness  in  bis  head,  and  at 
times  a  little  dizziness,  asked  bow  he  might  ward  it 
off.  The  kind  doctor  replied,  "Go  home  at  once  and 
drink  a  cup  of  very  strong  tea,  and  lie  down."  The 
custom  in  those  days  was  always  to  offer  the  pastor 
when  be  called  liquid  refreshment,  and  this  good  man 
suffered  from  too  many  calls.  No  one  ever  raised  a 
(luestion  concerning  the  propriety  of  offering  the  visit- 
ing clergyman  brandy.  Should  it  be  discovered  to-day 
that  in  some  parish  such  a  custom  continued  the  moral 
sentiment  of  the  nation  would  be  shocked.  It  is  no  more 
out  of  place  to-day,  not  one  whit  more  sinful  now  than 
it  was  then.  Those  ministers  were  just  as  godly  men 
as  can  be  found  in  our  parishes  to-day.  The  difference 
is  that  social  customs  have  changed  and  this  practice 
has  disai:)peared.  Is  it  not  possible  that  in  a  similar 
manner  the  Christian  conscience  has  become  so  accus- 
tomed to  the  spectacle  of  three,  four  and  five  little  strug- 
gling churches  in  a  community  that  it  has  ceased  to 
speak  with  fidelity?  When  divisions  first  came  there 
was  unconcealed  regret  and  pain.  At  every  break  there 
have  been  misgivings  and  sorrow.  With  this  has  usu- 
ally been  such  a  measure  of  bitter  hatred  engendered 
that  a  generation  or  more  has  been  required  to  permit 
sufficient  cooling  off  so  that  relations  outwardly  might 
assume  something  of  the  nature  of  peace.  By  the  second 
or  third  generation  persons  have  become  so  accustomed 
to  the  situation  that  further  comment  ceases.  In  our 
age  of  the  church,  and  for  four  hundred  years  we  have 
maintained,  at  great  expense  and  effort,  a  condition  in 
the  church  of  (Christ,  which  in  all  i)revious  ages  was 
considered  as  highly  disloyal  to  God,  and  exceedingly 
wicked.    At  this  time  we  have  gone  so  far  iu  the  oppo- 


4 


THE  NEXT  GREAT  AWAKENING  225 


site  (liroctiou  that  we  poiut  to  these  contentions  as  evi- 
dence of  the  high  religious  character  of  our  times.  Di- 
vision ami  disruption  we  use  as  evidence  of  a  high  de- 
gree of  spiritual  development,  a  sure  proof  that  the  con- 
science is  keenly  alive.  It  is  centuries  since  the  age  of 
feudalism  in  civil  and  social  life,  hut  in  the  church  we 
appear  just  now  to  be  at  this  sta^e.  In  the  past  the 
petty  baron  waged  war  upon  all  his  neighbors,  and  if 
he  were  able,  despoiled  them.  The  feudal  church  still 
erects  her  castles,  and  sends  forth  her  warlike  parties 
to  despoil  her  neighbor  churches.  We  visit  our  leading 
cities.  On  one  corner  is  a  large  and  beautiful  church. 
A  block  away  is  another,  and  on  the  opposite  corner  still 
another,  and  within  two  or  three  blocks  is  a  fourth,  each 
seeking  to  gather  the  people  of  the  community  within 
its  own  organization.  Should  the  time  come  when  in 
answer  to  our  Lord's  prayer  these  organizations  shoidd 
become  one,  three  of  the  buildings  would  be  useless,  and 
like  the  ruined  castles  along  some  of  the  rivei*s  in  Eu- 
rope, would  be  silent  witnesses  of  the  turbulent  times 
in  the  past.  To-day  the  community  beholds  these  same 
buildings  as  evidence  of  the  religious  spirit  of  our  age. 
They  are  supposed  to  testify  to  the  religious  stability  of 
the  community. 

If  a  man  in  one  of  our  congregations  to-day  should 
become  somewhat  disi)leased  with  the  pastor,  and  to  se- 
cure his  removal  should  commence  quietly  to  gather 
about  him  a  party,  which  after  it  became  strong  should 
begin  to  make  demands,  and  finally  when  unable  to  se- 
cure what  he  sought  should  break  away,  organize  an- 
other church,  erect  another  building,  larger  and  finer 
than  the  first,  and  go  on  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  to 
evangelize  the  world,  we  would  be  shocked.  That  has 
happened  over  and  over.  A  little  village  of  about  fif- 
teen hundred  poj)uIation,  with  a  large  and  prosperous 
Roman  Catholic  Church  and  four  Protestant  churches, 
within  the  last  few  years  was  the  scene  of  just  sucli  an 
event.  It  was  (l('i)lored,  an<l  tlie  niovenient  was  a  cause 
of  sorrow.    The  new  organization  had  no  difliculty  in 


226 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


finding  shelter  in  another  denomination,  which  pre- 
viously had  no  organization  in  the  community.  The 
community  was  overburdened  before,  and  with  this  new 
movement  Protestantism  in  that  village  was  crippled. 
The  man  who  leads  such  a  movement  weakens  the  cause 
of  religion  in  the  community.  It  is  wrong,  a  sin.  Every 
time  such  a  movement  takes  place  there  must  be  joy  in 
the  kingdom  of  darkness.  Such  divisions  arouse  a  bit- 
terness of  heart  which  is  unfavorable  to  true  religious 
development.  It  is  difficult  for  the  man  whose  heart 
burns  with  resentment  to  worship.  Such  divisions  in- 
stead of  drawing  men,  Christian  brothers,  into  a  closer, 
more  fraternal  relation,  arouse  a  spirit  of  hostility  and 
contention.  They  destroy  the  intimacy  which  should 
exist  between  Christian  workers.  It  must  involve  guilt. 
The  men  who  are  engaged  in  such  controversies  are  in 
a  meaisure  unfitted  for  prayer  and  religious  meditation. 
Men  who  practice  such  things  as  are  employed  in  this 
struggle  are  crowded  away  from  true  piety,  and  are  led 
into  the  spirit  of  sectarianism. 

For  a  long  time  there  has  been  a  growing  conviction 
of  a  process  of  deterioration  in  the  standards  of  Chris- 
tian living.  In  our  day  there  is  much  discussion  con- 
cerning the  religious  life.  There  are  among  us  very 
few  cases  of  pre-eminent  piety.  Unless  in  seasons  when 
some  religious  controversy  was  on,  or  at  a  time  when  a 
nervous,  energetic  endeavor  was  in  progress  to  create 
what  is  known  as  a  "Revival,"  it  has  been  difficult  to 
secure  the  attendance  of  Christians  at  the  church.  Even 
among  the  clergy  there  has  appeared  a  change.  The 
preachers  are  growing  speculative  and  discourse  upon 
philosophy,  sociology,  political  corruption  and  similar 
themes.  In  evangelism  the  most  conspicuous  for  their 
success  depend  upon  violent  attacks  upon  the  ministry, 
the  members  of  the  church  and  the  Christian  com- 
munity. If  you  remove  the  saloon,  the  card  table,  the 
dancing  party  and  the  theater,  the  leading  evangelists 
of  the  country  to-day  would  be  so  tame  that  none  would 
care  to  hear  them.    There  is  something  wrong.  The 


THE  NEXT  GREAT  AWAKENING  227 


preaching  of  God's  Word  does  not  appear  to  have  the 
power  which  it  did  a  generation  ago.  The  lack  of  power 
in  the  Word  is  made  up  by  the  increased  activity  of  the 
preacher.  He  employs  the  most  striking,  poignant,  cut- 
ting language,  and  accompanies  it  with  extreme  spec- 
tacular pulpit  mannerism,  assailing  everybody,  accusing 
the  entire  Christian  community  of  being  guilty  of  the 
vilest  and  most  repulsive  sins.  For  a  few  weeks  he  se- 
cures a  hearing,  then  goes  elsewhere.  One  evangelist 
made  the  statement  in  a  private  conversation  not  long 
since,  that  "This  extreme  method  is  the  only  one  which 
can  succeed  to-day.  and  this  cannot  be  depended  upon 
much  longer.'"  If  the  ordinary  ministrations  of  the 
house  of  God  have  lost  their  power,  if  these  exceptional 
evangelists,  employing  the  most  startling  sensational 
methods,  feel  their  intlueuce  already  at  its  zenith,  and 
sure  to  wane,  what  are  we  going  to  do?  It  looks  as 
though  the  prince  of  the  power  of  darkness  were  actu- 
ally getting  the  mastery  over  the  church.  Frightened, 
the  church  has  sprung  to  her  feet  and  organization  after 
organization  of  men,  women,  boys  and  girls  are  launched 
in  the  hope  that  these  will  stop  the  downward  trend. 
The  leaders  of  the  spiritual  work  of  the  country  hail 
each  of  these  movements  as  something  which  promises 
temporary  reUef.  The  cry  is  "organize."  This  year 
we  organize  and  work  one  thing,  next  year  it  will  be 
another.  Our  hearts  grow  heavy.  Somehow  our  prayers 
are  not  reaching  God.  We  do  not  secure  the  results 
which  our  souls  crave.  The  heart  grows  desperate. 
Something  must  be  done,  for  the  church  seems  to  be 
losing  her  influence,  her  spiritual  power  seems  waning. 
This  is  apparent  in  the  character  of  the  church  mem- 
bers. It  is  not  true  in  our  day  that  the  church  mem- 
ber is  conspicuous  for  his  liberality.  I  am  speaking  of 
the  Protestant  Church.  We  are  not  holding  the  young,  i 
Thase  of  maturer  years  are  drifting  away  from  us.  Our 
churdi  services  are  neitlior  lioldiiig  the  people  nor  de- 
veIoi>ing  the  character  wjiich  we  would  expect  would 
be  the  result,  were  God  with  His  people.    If  there  were 


228 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


something  in  the  chnrch  radically  wrong,  which  was 
keeping  God  at  a  distance,  as  Joshua  found  after  the 
battle  of  Jericho,  we  could  easily  account  for  it.  Then 
we  would  at  once  say  God  has  withdrawn  His  power, 
and  before  we  can  secure  His  help,  we  must  remove  the 
evil.  Are  we  going  too  far  when  we  suggest  that  possi- 
bly this  multitudinous  division  of  the  chiirch  into  con- 
tending sects  may  be  the  wrong  that  weakens  Christen- 
dom? Are  we  making  too  strong  an  assertion  when  we 
say  that  our  contentions  which  have  produced  and  con- 
tinues such  a  multitude  of  denominations  is  causing 
God  to  stand  aloof?  One  thing  is  sure,  such  a  conten- 
tious spirit  cannot  be  right.  If  it  were  wrong  to  bring 
about  these  conditions  it  must  be  wrong  to  maintain 
them.  If  it  be  wrong  to  continue  such  a  condition  then 
it  is  a  sin.  Denorainationalism  is  the  direct  product  of 
sin,  and  must  be  displeasing  to  God.  This  condition  was 
the  product  of  quarrels,  and  it  continues  because  men 
will  not  agree.  This  kind  of  disagreement  is  discord, 
and  has  in  it  nothing  of  the  love  of  Christ.  The  spirit 
which  produced  denorainationalism  came  from  the  realm 
of  darkness.  The  spirit  which  continues  this  condition 
cannot  be  from  God.  It  must  be  from  the  place  wlience 
tlie  spirit  came  which  brought  it  about.  Such  quarrels 
and  such  contentions  have  always  interfered  with  the 
Spirit  of  God  in  His  work.  These  conditions  have  al- 
ways held  the  church  away  from  God.  A  condition  of 
true  Christian  strength  is  the  forsaking  of  all  evil,  and 
the  humble,  submissive  seeking  of  God.  Because  of  the 
sins  of  our  fathers  denominations  were  born.  Because  of 
our  sinfulness  we  refuse  to  come  together  and  denomina- 
tions continue.  Because  of  our  sinfulness,  of  which  we 
do  not  repent,  and  which  we  refuse  to  forsake,  God 
leaves  us  without  the  witness  of  His  presence.  Such  con- 
tentions are  the  outbursts  of  passion.  They  are  wrong. 
Ill  the  past  th(^y  have  ever  interfered  with  that  sjiirit 
which  seeks  such  huml)le,  loving  service  as  God  lias  a 
right  to  expect.  Such  a  contentions  sf)iril  Iins  ever  failed 
to  produce  devout,  earnest  consecration  which  inanirests 


THE  NEXT  GREAT  AWAKENING 


229 


itself  in  pious  godly  character.  If  it  he  trno  that  godli- 
ness in  the  church  is  a  mighty  power,  if  it  be  true  that 
God  has  respect  to  the  prayers  of  the  devout  and  humble 
worshipper  and  that  He  turns  away  from  the  contentious 
and  proud,  then  this  contentious  spirit,  which  is  the 
basis  of  denominationalism,  must  tend  to  separate  a  man 
from  his  God.  Such  a  spirit  must,  to  just  the  extent 
that  it  exists,  unfit  a  man  for  the  truest  and  noblest 
Christian  service. 

That  there  may  be  a  genuine  revival  of  true  and  un- 
defiled  religion  in  the  life  of  the  individual,  in  a  congre- 
gation, in  a  community  there  comes  first  a  consciousness 
of  its  needs,  a  sense  of  sin.  This  is  followed  by  sincere 
sorrow.  Sorrow  leads  to  repentance  and  genuine  re- 
pentance leads  to  the  forsaking  of  sin.  If  there  are  per- 
sons who  have  injured  others,  if  there  are  those  who 
have  defrauded,  and  have  money  in  their  possession 
obtained  by  dislionest  means,  if  the  repentance  be  genu- 
ine, there  is  acknowledgment,  a  desire  for  forgiveness, 
and  restoration  of  that  which  had  been  unlawfully  ob- 
tained. One  of  the  cliaracteristics  of  not  a  few  awak- 
enings has  been  that  persons  who  have  defrauded  others, 
or  have  defrauded  companies  or  corporations,  have  made 
acknowledgment  and  restoration.  If  a  man  has  stolen 
a  watch  from  some  one  at  a  great  "revival,"  as  he 
passed  in  through  the  crowd,  and  before  he  goes  out, 
is  really  converted,  and  becomes  a  Christian,  it  is  cer- 
tain that  his  first  act  will  be  to  return  that  watch.  If 
he  should  come  forward  in  the  presence  of  the  assembled 
people,  and  confess  that  he  is  a  thief,  that  he  sincerely 
repents,  and  kneels  down  before  them  all,  and  with 
groaning  and  tears  prays  for  forgiveness,  but  keeps 
the  watch,  we  have  i)roof  i)ositive  that  bis  conversion  is 
not  genuine.  The  prayer  of  such  a  man  can  have  but 
little  influence.  A  righteous  God  could  not  resp(>et  his 
cries,  for  they  would  not  express  the  real  state  of  heart. 
It  is  a  rule  wilhout  exception  tliat  the  man  who  would 
serve  God  must  re|)ent  and  bring  fort.li  fruits  meet  for 
repentance,  surrendcir  the  I'ruit  of  his  sin.    In  the  dc- 


230 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


nominational  situation  why  should  we  not  expect  a  sim- 
ilar spirit  to  show  itself?  We  are  sorry,  truly  sorry, 
that  our  fathers  quarreled  and  became  so  unchristian  as 
to  separate  in  anger.  We  mourn  over  the  dismembered 
condition  of  Protestantism.  We  pray  God  in  His  In- 
finite goodness  in  the  exercise  of  His  Almighty  power 
to  heal  the  breaches  of  Zion  and  to  help  us  to  see  eye 
to  eye.  We  fervently  pray  that  the  Great  Head  of  the 
church  would  drive  away  variance,  fill  our  hearts  with 
His  own  love  and  make  us  one.  What  are  we  doing  to 
bring  this  condition  about?  Each  denomination  hugs 
its  own  peculiar  idiosyncrasies  and  talks  of  the  fraternal 
spirit,  but  no  step  is  taken  towards  a  reuniting.  No  one 
moves  to  bring  quiet  to  the  disturbed  family.  Can  peace 
and  harmony  come  to  the  church  through  prayer  alone? 
Can  we  expect  God  to  pour  out  His  Spirit  in  mighty 
power  upon  a  divided,  wrangling  church?  When  we 
speak  of  a  single  congregation  we  all  agree  that  the  first 
condition  of  the  Divine  blessing  is  to  stop  quarreling 
and  becoming  reconciled,  to  walk  together  in  peace.  Re- 
freshings from  above  will  not  come  upon  a  congregation 
which  is  factious  and  contentious.  We  seem  to  assume 
that  if  there  be  a  sufficient  number  of  congregations  in- 
volved in  the  quarrel,  and  if  the  fight  be  big  enough,  so 
that  instead  of  having  two  factions  in  one  congregation 
we  have  two  great  splendid  denominations,  then  the  bat- 
tle becomes  the  Lord's,  and  we  may  look  forward  for 
the  Divine  blessing.  The  nature  of  the  situation  is  not 
changed  whether  few  or  many  be  involved,  only  the 
heinousness  of  the  offence  is  aggravated.  Contention 
whether  it  be  among  individuals,  as  among  the  Apostles, 
when  debating  among  themselves  who  should  be  great- 
est, or  in  the  factions  of  a  congregation,  or  the  conten- 
tions of  a  number  of  larger  factions,  known  as  denomi- 
nations, must  ever  be  a  source  of  pain  to  Christ,  the 
Head  of  the  church.  Sucli  a  state  must  affect  most  un- 
fav()ral)ly  the  relation  of  the  in(Mnbors  of  the  clinrch, 
the  cluircli  it.soU",  and  the  denomination  to  God.  In  the 
midst  of  such  a  warfare  how  can  the  kingdom  of  God 


THE  NEXT  GREAT  AWAKENING  231 


prosper  ? 

From  the  review  of  the  divided  condition  of  the 
church  two  things,  we  believe,  become  apparent.  The 
first  is  that  it  is  highly  improbable  that  God  should  be- 
stow spiritual  power  upon  a  body  of  persons  in  such  a 
state.  Such  a  church  is  in  no  condition  to  receive  the 
Holy  Spirit,  any  more  than  a  contentious  man.  Our 
present  condition  precludes  any  great  spiritual  awaken- 
ing, such  as  would  move  all  Christendom.  There  has 
been  no  such  awakening  for  centuries.  Some  rumors 
of  something  of  this  kind  are  heard,  but  after  an  inves- 
tigation we  find  that  instead  of  the  turning  of  multi- 
tudes to  God,  at  the  most  there  are  only  a  few  paltry 
thousands.  What  we  long  for  is  an  awakening  which 
shall  reach  the  groat  multitudes  and  change  nations. 
This  used  to  take  place,  but  not  since  the  denominational 
spirit  has  reigned.  The  church  has  placed  her  desire 
for  such  an  awakening  on  record  in  all  sorts  of  resolu- 
tions, but  somehow  the  windows  of  heaven  have  not  been 
opened,  the  pentecostal  blessing  has  not  appeared.  Is 
this  because  God  has  provided  for  no  such  thing?  Is 
it  because  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  exhausted 
long  ago?  Is  there  no  more  conviction  for  sin?  The 
hosts  of  Jehovah  have  put  themselves  in  array  and 
marched  forth  for  the  battle.  On  the  way  contention 
commenced  within  the  ranks.  The  leaders  disagreed  and 
quarreled,  the  army  broke  up  into  separate  denomina- 
tions, each  with  its  own  standard,  under  its  own  loader, 
and  with  its  own  battle  cry.  The  church  is  no  longer 
one,  she  has  been  shattered  to  fragments.  The  next 
groat  awakening  will  not  take  place  under  such  condi- 
tions. As  we  bring  our  gifts  to  the  altar  we  have  to  re- 
member that  with  us  all,  our  brother  hath  somewhat 
against  us.    Something  should  be  done. 

In  Iho  second  place,  if  the  church,  including  an.y  con- 
siderable number  of  the  various  denominalioTis,  sliould, 
accoi'ding  to  the  Sci'iyituviil  idon  of  ])('iii1ctic(',  Ix'foino 
truly  rcpoiitaiit  and  biiiig  foith  fruit  moot  for  repent- 
ance by  coming  together  and  putting  aside  contention, 


232 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


what  in  all  probability  would  take  place?  There  could 
certainly  be  no  depression  of  spiritual  life  resulting 
from  such  a  movement.  If  it  be  true  that  one  of  the 
first  things  sought  when  gn  endeavor  is  being  made  to 
quicken  the  spiritual  life  of  the  individual  congregation 
is  to  secure  the  tranquillity  and  peace  of  the  congrega- 
tion, and  this  is  considered  not  only  essential  to  the  suc- 
cess of  the  movement,  but  a  part  of  it,  should  we  not 
reason  that  a  similar  course  should  be  followed  in  any 
endeavor  to  awaken  and  qiiieken  the  larger  church?  If 
the  pastor  of  a  church  and  some  of  his  people  have  had 
such  trouble  that  they  can  no  longer  work  together,  if 
there  are  officers  in  the  church  who  have  quarreled,  and 
refuse  to  work  together,  if  there  are  families  in  this 
church  so  out  of  sympathy  with  each  other  that  they 
will  not  sit  upon  the  same  side  of  the  house,  we  could 
scarcely  expect  any  very  marked  work  of  grace  among 
that  people  until  some  decided  changes  had  taken  place. 
It  is  universally  recognized  that  such  a  condition  iinder 
all  ordinary  circumstances  precludes  the  possibility  of 
any  real  work  among  them  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  But 
suppose  the  church  become  so  distiirbed  that  she  splits. 
The  pastor  takes  such  of  the  officers  and  members  as  are 
in  sympathy  with  him,  and  they  use  the  aviditorium  of 
the  building.  Some  of  the  officers  with  their  sympa- 
thizers move  into  the  large  Sunday  School  room.  An- 
other faction  of  this  church,  with  its  leaders,  assembles 
in  the  church  parlors.  Each  faction  completes  its  or- 
gaTiization  and  commences  its  religious  work.  All  these 
factions  go  out  and  seek  to  seciire  such  members  as  have 
not  taken  sides.  Now  under  such  a  condition  would  you 
expect  any  great  awakening  in  that  congregation?  But 
to  remove  the  difficulties  suppose  each  inaction  save  the 
j)astor  and  his  went  outside  the  building  and  put  up  new 
church  buildings,  and  as  separate  and  independent  or- 
ganizations entered  upon  the  work  of  saving  men,  would 
tliis  remove  the  sjiirit  of  contention,  or  really  change 
the  spirit  of  division  existing?  We  do  not  believe  that 
God  works  among  a  people  in  this  mental  and  spiritual 


THE  NEXT  GREAT  AWAKENING 


233 


state.  Before  ITc  will  work  in  and  through  them  they 
must  put  aside  the  contentious  spirit,  and  become  one 
in  Ilim.  Let  these  people,  first,  stop  their  contentions. 
Let  them  come  together,  and  each  become  reconciled 
with  his  brother.  Then,  all  in  one  place,  let  them  bow 
down  with  a  single  purpose  and  commit  themselves  to 
God  and  wait  upon  Ilim  and  see  if  He  will  not  open  the 
windows  of  heaven  and  pour  upon  them  such  a  pente- 
costal  blessing  that  there  shall  not  be  room  enough  to 
receive  it.  In  our  denominationalism,  broken  up  into 
our  discordant  organizations  we  are  like  that  congrega- 
tion. The  progress  of  the  kingdom  is  hindered.  We 
are  praying  for  seasons  of  refreshing.  Suppose  we 
would  come  together,  put  aside  our  disputes,  cease  our 
quarrels,  break  down  the  dividing  walls,  and  become 
one  in  Christ  Jesus,  one  visible  body,  one  organic  whole, 
one  in  heart  and  one  in  spirit,  true  yokefellows  in  Christ, 
what  think  you  would  result? 

The  trend  of  such  a  movement,  independent  of  any 
Divine  influence,  woizld  be  to  bring  about  a  real  spir- 
itual awakening.  There  would  be  a  combination  of  re- 
flex influences  which  would  be  irresistible.  The  putting 
aside  of  strong  personal  prejudices  on  the  part  of  some 
would  have  a  more  subduing,  mellowing  influence  in 
their  lives  than  anything  they  have  ever  known.  Sup- 
pose with  any  one  of  us  we  have  arrived  at  the  point 
where  for  the  sake  of  the  kingdom  of  God  we  are  ready 
to  surrender  our  personal  likes  and  ambitions  for  the 
sake  of  the  church  and  the  saving  of  souls,  suppose  we 
should  say  for  the  gloiy  of  God,  we  will  yield  much  that 
we  have  held  dear,  giving  u{)  historical  names,  and  asso- 
ciations in  which  we  have  gloried  that  the  cliurch  may  be 
made  more  glorious,  what  effect  do  you  supi)ose  it  would 
have  upon  our  faith,  our  (Christian  character?  Would 
it  not  bring  us  into  a  closer  relation  with  God?  This 
very  act  on  our  part  would  deej)en  religious  conviction 
and  warm  the  heart  towards  others.  It  does  the  soul 
great  good  <o  make  such  a  surrender.  Such  ji  slate  of 
submission  on  our  jjart  could  not  be  attained  l)y  many 


234 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


of  us  without  much  devout  meditation  and  humble,  fer- 
vent prayer.  If  this  were  the  only  effect  of  such  a 
union  of  Christian  forces,  it  would  pay  a  thousandfold 
for  all  it  costs.  A  brief  period  of  such  devout  and 
prayerful  communion  with  our  own  selves  could  not  fail 
to  change  and  purify  every  Christian  character.  The 
man  would  become  less  a  man  of  the  world,  and  more, 
far  more,  a  man  after  the  image  of  our  Divine  Lord. 
For  the  sake  of  this  deepening  of  the  truest,  noblest 
type  of  Christian  character  we  ought  to  be  willing  to 
make  any  required  sacrifice.  There  is  a  call  for  just 
this  kind  of  sacrifice  in  the  church  of  Christ  to-day  in 
America.   Are  we  willing  to  meet  the  call  ? 

Another  reason  why  such  a  movement  for  the  organic 
union  of  the  church  would  result  in  a  great  awakening 
is  based  upon  the  influence  of  union  in  Christian  work. 
Ju.st  as  soon  as  an  evangelist  arrives  at  that  point  of 
popularity  that  his  time  is  fully  taken,  we  find  him  re- 
fusing to  accept  invitations  to  labor  with  any  individual 
church.  He  makes  a  condition  of  his  going  to  any  town 
or  city  that  his  meeting  shall  be  a  union  meeting  of  prac- 
tically all  the  churches  of  the  place.  He  seeks  to  sepa- 
rate in  the  minds  of  the  people  the  thought  that  he  has 
anything  to  do  with  denominations.  He  requires  that  a 
"tabernacle"  capable  of  seating  several  thousand  shall 
be  erected,  regardless  of  the  expense,  and  that  his  serv- 
ices shall  all  be  held  in  this.  He  sends  forward  experi- 
enced men  to  organize  the  working  forces,  in  which  de- 
nominational lines  are  broken  down.  Every  effort  is 
made  to  get  away  from  all  that  is  denominational,  and 
great  stress  is  placed  upon  the  unified  condition  of  the 
churches  during  this  work.  Denominational  linos  must 
be  obliterated.  The  clergymen  of  the  various  denomina- 
tions are  put  to  work.  At  the  meetings  they  are  placed 
in  a  group  by  themselves  in  one  of  the  most  conspicuous 
places  in  the  building.  All  this  is  done  because  the 
evangelist  knows  lliat  the  spirit  of  denominationalism  is 
a  burden  which  hv.  cannot  carry.  The  evangelist  wlu) 
carries  on  this  work  for  six  or  more  weeks  demands  that 


THE  NEXT  GREAT  AWAKENING  235 


so  far  as  is  possible  iu  that  community  there  shall  be  no 
denominations.  This  demand  is  made,  because  he  knows 
that  the  giving  up  in  this  way  is  an  excellent  prepara- 
tion on  the  part  of  all  for  the  results  which  he  seeks. 
There  is  a  tremendous  power  in  the  mere  fact  of  union. 
It  fires  every  person  engaged  in  the  movement  with  in- 
creased zeal.  It  is  far  easier  for  men  to  work  in  crowds 
than  separately.  While  it  is  hard  for  a  man  to  grow 
enthusiastic  in  a  little  weak  organization  where  it  is  a 
struggle  for  life  and  death,  to  be  associated  with  a  mul- 
titude gives  new  courage,  and  his  enthusiasm  burns  high. 
The  influence  of  numbers  brings  new  recruits.  Persons 
who  have  had  little  interest  are  aroused,  and  join  in  the 
campaign.  There  may  as  yet  have  been  no  movement  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  but  there  has  been  a  mighty  moving 
of  the  people.  If  such  a  movement  could  be  permanent, 
if  ministers  and  people  could  be  so  combined  for  a  cam- 
paign which  should  be  lasting,  what  mighty  results 
might  we  not  hope  for?  This  is  the  method  which  poli- 
ticians seek  to  employ.  It  is  the  method  which  social 
reformers  endeavor  to  use.  It  is  the  method  of  the  mod- 
ern "revivalist."  Then  if  it  works  in  all  these  lines, 
why  should  we  not  expect  it  would  work  with  even 
greater  efficiency  if  there  should  be  a  real  and  perma- 
nent coming  together  of  the  great  Christian  host  for  the 
conquest  of  the  world?  Such  a  combination  would  not 
only  give  a  more  efficient  organization  of  the  church, 
under  which  to  carry  forward  the  work,  but  would  arouse 
an  enthusiasm  which  would  impart  new  life  to  the 
church.  Besides  this  it  would  remove  from  the  church 
the  appearance  of  being  so  inconsistent  that,  while  she 
seeks  to  proclaim  a  Gospel  of  love,  she  carries  on  a  war- 
fare among  her  own  brethren.  This  would  enable  the 
church  to  present  a  solid  front. 

There  is  still  another  reason  why  we  should  expect 
such  an  organic  unity  would  bring  about  a  great  spir- 
itual awakening.  The  Scriptures  make  it  evident  tliat 
there  is  great  advantage  in  a  united  prayer,  where  tlicrc 
is  a  union  of  spirit.   It  is  also  made  evident  that  agree- 


236 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


meut  among  those  who  pray,  a  harmony  in  purpose  ami 
spirit  greatly  aids  prayer.  The  outpouring  of  tlie  Holy 
Ghost  on  Pentecost  was  preceded  by  a  season  of  prayer 
under  peculiar  circumstances.  The  little  church  con- 
sisting of  something  like  an  liundred  and  twenty  was 
assembled  in  one  place.  They  were  together  with  one 
accord.  This  continued  for  the  space  of  ten  days.  In 
the  past  there  had  been  disagreements.  The  Apostles 
could  hardly  be  left  alone  for  a  brief  moment  without 
differences  arising  which  divided  them.  There  had  been 
discordant  notes,  but  on  this  occasion  the  narrator  is 
careful  to  say  that  there  were  none ;  at  this  time  they 
were  of  one  accord.  Under  such  a  condition  the  Holy 
Ghost  appeared,  the  tongues  of  fire  were  seen,  and  the 
glories  of  salvation  were  proclaimed  in  many  languages. 
The  speakers  were  clothed  with  supernatural  power. 
Peter  stood  up  to  explain  that  these  men  were  not  drunk, 
as  they  were  accused  of  being,  and  the  explanation 
brought  three  thousand  souls  to  Christ.  We  read 
Peter's  sermon,  simple,  brief,  as  a  literary  production, 
or  a  piece  of  logical  reasoning  not  to  be  compared  with 
tliousands  of  other  addresses,  but  there  was  in  it  mar- 
velous power,  because  the  Holy  Ghost  used  it.  Suppose 
that  on  the  morning  of  Pentecost  there  had  arisen  a  con- 
troversy between  James  and  Peter  concerning  their 
primacy  among  the  Apostles,  as  there  had  been  on 
former  occasions,  and  the  company  had  divided,  taking 
sides.  What  would  have  been  the  result?  Do  you  think 
it  probable  that  the  Holy  Ghost  would  have  appeared? 
There  is  no  straining  of  the  imagination  when  we  sup- 
pose that  one  of  the  conditions  of  the  spiritual  power 
of  Peter's  sermon  was  the  unity  of  the  little  church  at 
the  time.  When  tlie  church  was  united  before  God 
she  had  power  with  Him  Who  moves  the  world.  The 
si)irit  of  disunion,  discord,  is  such  as  to  repel  the  Holy 
Ghost.  It  is  in  a  serious  sense  a  grieving  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

No  one  can  doubt  tliat  tlie  unfortunate  divisions  of 
I'rotestantism  have  greatly  retarded  the  progress  of  the 


THE  NEXT  GREAT  AWAKENING  237 


church.  Wc  arc  convinced  that  the  gi'catest  need  of  the 
church  of  to-day  is  a  movement  towards  organic  union. 
The  church  needs  to  be  united,  then  she  can  obtain  all 
else.  The  divisions  have  been  made,  and  this  fact  we 
cannot  change.  We  can  determine  that  we  will  not  con- 
tinue the  mischief  for  coming  years.  Every  man  in  the 
church  is  responsible  in  some  measure  for  the  continu- 
ance of  the  present  situation.  It  is  the  duty  of  every 
man  to  use  all  the  influence  which  he  has  to  see  that 
something  is  done.  In  every  community  throughout  the 
world,  men  and  women  are  passing  from  time  into  eter- 
nity who  are  not  ready  for  the  change.  Many  of  them 
might  have  been  ready  had  the  church  spent  less  time 
and  jnoney  in  the  fight  within  her  own  ranks.  Who  is 
respon,sible ?  Who  must  answer  for  these  souls?  Not 
alone  the  fathers  who  in  the  excitement  and  stubborn- 
ness of  controversy  brought  into  existence  the  divisions, 
but  the  Christians  now  living  who  are  maintaining  and 
keei)ing  alive  the  old  quarrels.  By  our  contentions  we 
are  stultifying  the  church.  We  reduce  to  the  minimum 
the  influence  of  the  church  by  the  multitude  of  di- 
visions which  we  maintain.  So  long  as  we  deliberately 
continue  such  a  condition  it  seems  hardly  probable  that 
Jehovah  will  in  any  large  measure  bestow  His  power 
upon  His  church.  First,  let  us  leave  our  gift  at  the 
altar  and  become  reconciled  with  each  other,  then  we 
can  turn  back  to  our  offering  and  with  some  assurance 
expect  that  God  will  bestow  His  rich  blessing. 

When  the  churches  come  together  we  may  expect  such 
an  awakening  as  comes  from  a  sacrifice  involved  in  an 
honest,  unselfish  effort  to  build  up  the  church  of  God. 
There  will  come  that  enthusiasm  which  is  derived  from 
numbers,  making  a  mighty  irresistible  movement. 
Abcve  all  this,  and  better  than  all,  when  hostilities  eea.se 
and  the  church  in  spirit  and  in  outward  fonn  becomes 
one  organically,  and  spiritually  one  in  Christ,  as  He  is 
one  in  tlic  Father,  then  will  I  lie  cluu'cli  be  tof^ctlier  with 
one  accord,  and  she  may  hoi)e  to  receive  that  spii-ilual 
equipment  which  shall  arm  her  for  such  a  world  con- 


238 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


quest  as  men  have  never  known.  It  is  evident  from  any 
point  of  view  that  such  a  union  of  the  church  would 
result  in  a  great  spiritual  awakening.  Has  the  church 
the  character  which  will  measure  up  to  such  a  standard  ? 
Has  the  clergy  enough  of  the  spirit  of  Christ  to  become 
unselfish  leaders  in  such  a  movement?  When  the  minis- 
ters of  the  church  will  say  such  a  union  shall  be  brought 
about  by  God 's  help,  the  question  is  settled.  If  the  min- 
istry of  the  church  refuse  to  say  this,  if  they  refuse  to 
work  to  this  end  the  union  will  not  come.  The  men  who 
have  been  ordained  to  the  holy  office  of  the  Gospel  minis- 
try hold  in  their  hands  the  key  to  the  situation.  These 
men  within  the  next  few  years  may  prepare  the  churcb 
for  the  greatest  religious  awakening  which  has  ever  come 
to  men.  The  world  is  ready  and  calling.  Voices  crying 
for  help  come  from  all  lands.  The  only  real  hindrance 
is  found  at  home.  It  is  found  in  the  ministry  of  the 
Protestant  church.  Shall  we  take  that  course  which 
will  soon  lead  to  this  next  great  awakening?  Some  one 
is  responsible  for  the  answer  which  shall  be  given  to  this 
(juestion.   It  is  not  the  clergy,  but  each  clergyman. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


A  QUESTION  OP  ACTION 


E  now  come  to  a  question  which  should  command 


~  '  careful  consideration,  a  question  of  action.  What 
shall  be  done?  In  our  churches  there  are  leaders,  men 
of  experience  and  wisdom,  who  could,  if  they  would, 
lead  off  in  a  movement  towards  the  unity  of  Christen- 
dom which  would  change  the  whole  church.  ]\Iust  the 
church  wait  for  these  men  to  move?  May  tliere  be 
something  for  the  less  prominent,  the  rank  and  file  of 
the  church,  to  do  while  we  wait  for  our  leaders?  Let 
us  turn  to  this  phase  of  the  subject  in  our  concluding 
chapter. 

There  is  a  force  which  operates  mightily  throughout 
communities  and  countries,  which  we  call  sentiment. 
This  is  an  interest  in  a  subject,  which  has  arrived  at  the 
point  where  it  demands  action.  When  the  membership 
of  a  church  become  convinced  that  a  thing  out  to  be 
done  it  will  not  be  long  before  this  conviction  will  make 
its  presence  felt  on  the  part  of  the  church  leaders.  It 
would  therefore  appear  that  the  first,  and  a  most  im- 
])ortant,  step  is  to  seek  to  reach  the  rank  and  file  of  the 
church  membership.  When  the  members  of  the  church 
recognize  the  evils  of  our  present  system,  and  com- 
mence to  question  its  wisdom,  demanding  that  there  be 
some  improvement,  it  is  certain  that  it  will  not  be  long 
before  there  will  appear  some  one  able  to  lead  in  the 
movement.  Should  the  members  of  the  sixteen  difTcrent 
Protestant  Churches  in  a  certain  small  city  bccoitie  con- 
vinced that  what  was  true  of  their  city  was  ('(pially  true 
of  thousands  of  similar  cities  in  our  country,  and  tliat 
they  were  bearing  unnecessary  burdens,  which  instead 


240 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


of  helping  in  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  actually  retarded 
its  progress,  how  long  would  it  be  before  there  would 
be  found  some  way  in  which  to  voice  their  conviction? 
If  the  members  of  our  churches  were  led  to  see  the 
wasteful  manner  in  which  we  employ  our  money  in 
erecting  a  multitude  of  buildings  which  are  not  needed, 
and  the  use  of  which  really  weaken  the  influence  of  the 
church,  if  they  saw  how  that  the  putting  into  the  field 
of  so  many  pastors,  in  open  competition,  only  resulted 
in  confusion  and  embarrassment,  would  not  the  leaders 
of  the  church  be  led  seriously  to  consider  these  things 
and  seek  for  some  relief?  If  they  failed  it  would  not 
be  long  before  other  leaders  would  appear  who  would 
show  themselves  able  to  lead  the  way  to  better  things. 
At  present  there  appears  to  be  a  state  of  indifference. 
What  is  most  needed  is  to  awaken  the  conscience.  As 
soon  as  men  commence  to  think,  there  will  follow  the  de- 
mand that  there  be  a  change.  It  is  necessary  for  Chris- 
tian people  to  go  farther  than  to  deplore  the  divided 
condition  of  Protestantism.  We  must  feel  the  responsi- 
bility to  improve  this  condition.  If  in  an  individual 
church  in  some  community  there  are  several  factious 
which  have  arrived  at  the  point  where  they  refuse  to 
worship  together  in  the  same  house  and  the  town  is  to 
join  in  a  five  or  six  weeks'  campaign  of  special  services, 
the  first  thing  which  is  done  is  to  attempt  to  bring  these 
discordant  elements  together.  To  expect  any  great  suc- 
cess before  there  has  been  such  a  reconciliation  is  looked 
upon  as  hopeless.  This  is  the  proper  course.  Before 
there  will  be  any  real  desire  for  church  unity  there 
must  be  an  aroused  conscience  over  the  sin  of  our  pres- 
ent state  of  disruption  and  discord.  There  must  be 
aroused  a  sense  of  the  real  need  that  we  cease  our 
wrangling,  put  aside  all  bitterness,  and  commence  to 
undo  the  evil  which  has  existed  for  so  long.  We  need  to 
reason  concerning  our  situation  as  denominations  just 
as  we  do  concerning  the  factions  of  an  individual 
cliurcli.  W(^  need  to  recognize  the  sin,  and  then  wc 
may  hope  that  repentance  will  not  be  delayed,  and  a 


A  QUESTION  OF  ACTION  241 


reunion  may  follow.  If  church  quarrels  be  wrong,  if 
such  things  be  sinful,  then  denominationalism,  which  is 
the  supreme  climax  of  a  church  quarrel,  must  be  a  sin. 
It  is  not  the  church  which  sins,  an  organization  does  not 
commit  sin,  but  the  persons  in  the  organization,  those 
who  manage  it.  It  is  time  that  the  membership  of  the 
church  recognize  this  responsibility  and  commence  to 
speak  out.  Some  protests  against  such  a  situation  should 
be  heard.  It  will  not  do  for  Christian  men  and  women 
to  sit  supinely  quiet,  saying,  I  did  not  do  it,  I  cannot 
mend  it.  While  we  did  not  divide  the  church  it  is  true 
that  we  to-day  keep  the  church  divided.  We  cannot 
escape  the  responsibility.  We  as  Christians  must  clear 
our  skirts  before  the  Great  Head  of  the  church. 

There  is  a  question  as  to  the  course  to  be  followed. 
One  thing  is  certain,  that  an  aroused  interest  in  the  sub- 
ject would  greatly  help.  That  a  movement  towards 
union  may  be  effective  it  must  be  denominational.  It 
must  leave  one  denomination  where  now  there  are  two. 
Real  church  union  must  be  more  than  a  resolution  which 
has  its  start  in  some  church  court.  The  people  must  be 
back  of  it.  It  must  appeal  to  the  individual  members 
of  the  organization.  It  is  well  that  the  start  should  be 
among  the  people.  The  man  who  goes  to  a  Conference, 
Synod  or  Assembly  with  the  conviction  that  his  con- 
stituents expect  him  to  press  the  question  of  church 
unity  will  be  a  force.  He  will  stand  not  as  a  single  man, 
but  as  the  representatives  of  a  company  of  men.  The 
man  who  represents  thirty  or  forty  or  fifty  churches, 
and  it  is  known  that  this  is  the  fact,  when  he  .speaks  men 
will  know  that  back  of  him  is  a  body  of  persons  who  ex- 
ercise an  influence.  Representing  such  a  body,  it  is  wise 
to  give  weight  to  his  demands.  To  succeed  the  organic 
unity  of  the  church  must  be  largely  a  mass  movement. 

Other  questions  follow.  How  soon  should  this  be  at- 
tempted? Whose  place  is  it  to  arouse  the  membership? 
Wlio  should  attempt  the  task  of  arousing  the  interest 
and  working  up  the  enthusiasm?  The  governing  bodies 
of  the  church  may  send  down  their  requirement  that 


242 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


their  clergy  shall  endeavor  to  accomplish  this.  More, 
much  more  than  this  must  be  done.  Before  the  church 
courts  have  taken  any  action  the  clergy  may  be  agitating 
the  question.  The  people  may  be  discussing  it,  and  the 
movement  will  really  be  started.  This  can  be  done  by 
any  one  who  is  interested.  The  sooner  it  is  commenced 
the  better.  There  may  be  no  connection  with  any  or- 
ganized movement,  but  discussion,  constant  discussion, 
will  bring  it  before  the  people,  and  as  soon  as  the  people 
consider  they  must  be  interested.  Such  a  course  would 
tend  to  lead  preachers  to  present  the  great  fundamental 
doctrines  of  Christianity,  instead  of  the  particular  views 
of  individual  denominations.  This  would  end  the  fac- 
tional spirit,  and  then  the  situation  would  be  ready  for 
the  start.  All  this  can  be  accomplished,  as  other  move- 
ments are  started,  by  getting  it  before  the  people.  It 
would  therefore  appear  that  the  great  duty  of  the  hour 
is  for  every  man  who  has  thought  of  the  subject  and  is 
interested  to  speak  out.  Let  the  church  hear  what  you 
think,  and  why  you  think  as  you  do,  and  soon  others 
will  agree  with  you.  Agitation,  earnest,  thoughtful  agi- 
tation is  the  line  along  which  we  must  move.  Already 
the  impression  has  been  made,  and  the  church  at  large 
is  commencing  to  move.  Let  every  one  interested  put 
his  shoulder  against  the  load  and  push.  Soon  the  whole 
church  will  feel  the  impetus,  there  will  commence  real 
progress,  and  the  dawn  of  a  better  day  will  appear.  This 
method  has  very  much  in  its  favor.  Should  unwise 
things  sometimes  be  said  there  would  be  no  church  court 
or  body  held  responsible.  Out  of  these  discussions  there 
would  be  sure  to  come  many  excellent  things  which 
would  clear  the  way  for  ecclesiastical  action.  Therefore 
agitation  is  the  duty  of  the  present. 

Tender  the  condition  through  which  the  church  is  now 
passing  it  is  far  from  probable  that  the  period  of  agita- 
tion would  need  be  long.  It  is  not  possible  to  believe 
that  there  are  not  in  the  church  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  multitudes  of  sincere  godly  men,  ready  to  enter 
upon  any  course  which  duty  suggests.    It  will  not  be 


A  QUESTION  OF  ACTION 


243 


long  before  some  of  these  men  will  feel  the  call  to  lead 
off,  and  before  we  are  aware  of  it  the  church  not  only 
will  be  interested,  but  will  begin  to  move.  When  this 
time  comes  no  power  on  earth  can  hold  her  back.  A  con- 
viction of  duty  would  necessarily  lead  to  action.  This 
would  discover  methods.  The  question  which  we  raise 
is  not  a  method  of  church  union,  but  the  duty,  the  obli- 
gation of  church  union.  If  it  be  an  obligation,  then 
it  will  not  do  to  say,  we  would  like  to  see  organic  union, 
we  wish  it  might  come,  duty  would  demand  that  we  go 
to  work  and  secure  it.  Let  it  be  settled  first  that  the 
organic  union  of  the  church  is  a  duty.  It  is  an  obliga- 
tion placed  upon  the  church  by  God.  Then  our  task  is 
to  form  this  union.  The  representatives  of  the  church 
could  get  together  and  they  could  form  the  basis  of  a 
union  which  could  be  accepted.  It  might  not  be  perfect, 
and  like  the  original  organization  of  the  church  in  Apos- 
tolic times,  might  require  some  modification  after  a  sea- 
.son.  This  could  be  accomplished.  But  first  let  us  have 
the  basis,  it  may  be  in  a  crude,  imperfect  form,  then 
perfect  it  as  time  suggests.  It  might  be  wise  that  the 
first  basis  should  be  exceedingly  simple  and  easily  mod- 
ified. But  the  church  could  form  some  kind  of  a  plat- 
form upon  which  it  could  stand  and  work,  until  she 
found  out  what  would  be  better. 

Some  cast  doubt  over  the  entire  question  by  suggest- 
ing that  it  would  be  impossible  for  the  various  denomi- 
nations to  agree  upon  a  form  of  government.  They  tell 
us  that  the  Presbyterians  would  tenaciously  cling  to 
their  Prcsbyterianism,  that  the  Episcopalians  would  not 
give  up  their  Episcopacy,  and  that  the  Congregational- 
ists  would  never  surrender  their  independency,  so  the 
whole  thing  would  fall  through  at  its  attempted  birth. 
Such  statements  are  sad  reflections  upon  the  type  of  re- 
ligious character  which  we  find  in  the  church.  It  is 
assuming  that  the  men  of  each  church  would  enter  the 
council  with  a  determination  by  political  management  to 
secure  all  the  concession,  possible  and  secure  as  large  a 
measure  of  the  particular  views  of  their  own  indiviclual 


244 


THE  DIVIDED  HOUSE 


denomination  as  they  were  able.  Men  of  this  type  of 
Christian  character  have  no  right  to  a  place  in  any  such 
body.  If  these  church  organizations  have  succeeded  in 
producing  nothing  above  this  low,  selfish,  sectarian 
spirit,  it  is  time  that  the  fact  be  recognized.  The  men 
who  should  be  entrusted  with  the  forming  of  such  a 
church  should  be  men  who  above  all  else  are  Christians, 
and  ready  to  make  every  lawful  surrender  for  the  sake 
of  the  kingdom  of  God.  The  question  is  not  how  much 
of  the  Presbyterian  polity  we  can  smuggle  in,  but  how 
can  we  form  an  organization  which  shall  have  an  his- 
torical basis,  and  which  in  the  new  and  broader  organi- 
zation can  do  the  work  in  hand  best.  A  company  of 
earnest,  prayerful,  godly  men  ought  to  be  able  to  find 
some  way  out.  The  end  is  not  to  secure  the  recognition 
of  any  particular  organization,  but  to  adopt  a  form 
which  can  work,  and  then  work  it. 

But  these  are  questions  which  do  not  belong  here. 
These  are  matters  which  will  have  to  be  decided  when 
the  church  reaches  this  point.  To-day  it  is  for  us  to 
arise  and  start.  With  the  passing  years  grows  the  sense 
of  the  deplorable  situation  in  which  our  beloved  church 
to-day  is  found.  It  is  impossible  that  the  Great  Head 
of  the  church  should  not  hold  some  one  responsible  for 
the  continuance  of  this  unfortunate  condition.  Great 
harm  is  being  done  every  day  we  continue  in  this  way. 
It  will  not  do  for  us  to  leave  things  as  they  are  in  the 
hope  that  some  generation  in  the  far-off  future  may 
prove  able  to  solve  what  we  neglect  to  touch.  The  day 
of  contention  should  end.  The  divisions  which  have 
arisen  from  the  quarrels  of  the  past  should  be  healed. 
It  is  for  us  to  meet  the  obligation.  If  we  do  not,  we 
deserve  punishment.  If  we  do  our  best,  we  will  dis- 
charge our  duty,  and  the  day  of  church  unity  in  the 
sense  for  which  Christ  prayed  will  be  near.  The  pic- 
ture of  Nero,  the  Roman  Emperor,  sitting  in  his  palace 
fiddling  while  Rome  burned  is  a  sad  one.  For  ages  it 
has  been  held  before  the  world  as  an  example  of  the 
grossest  perfidy  and  the  most  contemptible  baseness. 


A  QUESTION  OF  ACTION 


245 


The  only  situation  which  can  approach  it,  and  which  is 
even  more  hideous,  is  the  picture  of  Christendom  sitting, 
wrangling  and  quarreling  over  questions  of  speculation, 
godly  men  hurling  epithets  at  each  other,  while  millions 
of  souls  go  from  this  world  into  outer  darkness  where 
there  is  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth.  But  some  one 
says  God  cannot  permit  these  souls  to  perish  because  of 
such  a  thing;  we  could  not  respect  Him  if  He  did.  But 
what  are  we  willing  to  do?  If  God  has  proffered  the 
salvation,  and  given  His  only  begotten  Son  a  sacrifice, 
how  can  mortal  man  say  it  would  be  cruel  for  God  to 
'  fail  to  save  such  persons,  when  we  Christians,  who  have 
been  commissioned  to  do  this  very  thing,  would  not  give 
up  our  quarrels  with  each  other,  that  we  might  do  the 
work  which  we  are  in  this  world  to  do  ?  May  God  have 
mercy  upon  Ilis  church  and  stir  her  mightily  that  she 
may  arise  and,  clothed  in  His  might,  go  forth  and  bring 
the  nations  to  Ilis  throne,  a  host  of  redeemed  souls. 
Amen. 


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